Nothing but a Hound Dog
by RoseDragonWitch
Summary: Sirius Black… we know that he was imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. We've all seen Harry's point of view—but what about Sirius's? From the moment Harry is born to falling through the veil—this jail bird is making a break for it.
1. Me? Godfather?

**_Chapter 1: Me? Godfather?_**

**(Roses are red, violets are blue. I don't own, so you don't sue)**

_Fifteen years ago…_

Sirius Black was nervous.

No—not nervous. More like…

Completely and totally terrified.

He was never more scared than when he walked slowly through the streets of Godric's Hallow. This wasn't the usual kind fear he got during these dark days with so many friends and people dying. He wasn't scared for a sick friend or comrade who was injured during an Order mission. No, this was a very different kind of fear. Though, to most people, this trip would normally be considered as quite a joyous one.

Sirius was heading to his best friend James house; he had just been told that Lily had finally had the baby. Sirius had never been around babies or small children very much. He didn't have a clue how to act. Or what to do.

James had been thrilled when Lily had found out she was pregnant, and Sirius had been thrilled for them, but he wasn't quite so thrilled himself. Between Order work and Lily, James barely had enough time to hang out with Sirius as it was. What would it be like when James had a baby to look after as well? Of course, Sirius had realized that those were very selfish thoughts, but this was Sirius we're talking about! Of course he was selfish.

As far as Sirius was concerned, James was his brother; if not by blood then in spirit. James was possibly the only person who truly understood him, who trusted him completely. And because of that trust James had, and somehow managed to convince Lily to make Sirius their child's godfather. Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. He still wasn't sure how James got her to agree with that decision. He had a theory that James had Confunded her.

With that announcement, Sirius had felt a wave of responsibility crash upon him. But he was afraid. He knew all-to-well the dangers of the war and how unlikely that even Lily and James would make it out unscathed. He understood their fears and why they needed to know that someone would take care of their child if anything were to happen to them. Sirius would never turn down such a request from two of his best friends, but he still didn't feel ready to take on that kind of responsibility just yet.

Ever since when James had proposed to Lily, James had been the responsible one. James had been the one to get married and the one who wanted to raise a family. Sirius had just wanted to enjoy his youth for as long as possible and to do the best he could to end this bloody war. He wasn't sure if he was ready to take on all the responsibility that being a good godfather entailed, not by a long shot.

But he would do it. He was be scared witless, but he decided that would do it. He would do it because he knew that after everything that James had done for him, it was the least he could do to repay his closest friend.

So now here he was. He was facing his fear of responsibility.

Sirius quickened his pace a bit as he approached the familiar cottage. At that moment, a young woman, he recognized as a healer from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, look out the door as if expecting a Death Eater to be there.

Now that he thought about it, she had every reason to think so.

As Sirius came up the front walk she gasped, "Who are you?"

"Don't worry," Sirius said holding up his hands to show her that he wasn't a threat. "I'm no Death Eater. I came to see James and Lily. I heard that the kid was born?" He said it as though it were more of a question than a statement. "If you don't believe me…" he pulled out his wand and handed it to her before holding his arms up again. "I swear. I just want to see my friends."

She hesitated for a moment before she let out relieved sigh. "I believe you. Come in. Lily has just gotten through labor, but she and her husband will probably want a little time to themselves with their newborn. I'll let them know you're here, though, Mr…?"

"Black," he said. "Sirius Black."

"Oh, so you're the infamous Sirius Black that Mr. Potter told me was coming. Right, Mr. Black. I'll let them know you're here, but you'll have to wait a little while to see them."

"Of course. Thanks."

Sirius came in and headed straight for his favorite comfy armchair in the living room. The healer hadn't actually said whether Lily and the baby were okay. Now Sirius' nerves couldn't take it. He'd rather fight off a dozen Death Eaters than face this… this excruciating wait. Sirius had always been an impatient man. He didn't like to wait for anything.

He sat in that chair for awhile before he the healer came back.

"You're allowed to go see your friends now, Mr. Black," the healer said packing her bags. "They're waiting for you."

"Thanks," Sirius said as he made to stand up. "But please… call me Sirius. Don't call me Mr. It makes me sound old."

The healer nodded in response and turned to leave, but before she headed out the front door, Sirius thought to ask one of the questions that had been chewing on his mind for awhile.

"Um… are they're okay? Lily and the baby, I mean?"

The healer turned back around and smiled at him. "Yes, Mr. Bla… Sirius. Both the baby and the mother are doing perfectly well and last I checked, Mr. Potter going on and on to me about how wonderful a Quidditch player his child is going to be."

Sirius let out another one of his laughs as the woman left. Just like James to be thinking of Quidditch at a time like this. Sirius hoped for the kid's sake, and for everyone's sanity, that he or she would love Quidditch just as much as James did.

Sirius was still nervous as he walked up the stairs and to the end of the hallway to where he knew his friends were. He was still feeling selfish about having even less time with James as he placed his hand on the doorknob. He still wasn't so sure about all the responsibility that had been forced onto his shoulders along with birth of the child as he reached a hand towards the door.

But as he pushed open the door, he knew that he would love the baby. No matter how selfish and immature as he was, how could he not?

As soon as he opened the door, all of his doubts and fears were washed away because he knew that this was his real family and that they were waiting for him in that room. Who cares if they say that blood is thicker than water? He didn't need that when he had people like James and Lily, and now their baby, here. He loved them, all three of them, and that was all the proof he needed to prove that they were family.

With this new epiphany in mind, Sirius took the first few steps into the room and closed the door behind him.

The first thing he saw was Lily lying in bed and holding a small bundle of blankets. The next thing he saw was his best friend with a huge Cheshire cat grin on his face and grinning at him from beside the bed.

When Lily saw him, she gave him a warm smile and then turned back to look lovingly at her little bundle. She looked completely worn out. She was sweaty and her hair was a complete mess, but Sirius didn't think he'd ever seen her look happier or seen her smile glowing as bright as it did now.

Before Sirius could say or do anything, James walked over to him and pulled him into a hug, that manic grin still on his face all the while.

"Sirius," James said softly as they pulled away from the hug, "I want you to meet your godson."

God_son_.

So he had a godson. James and Lily had a little boy.

He walked over closer to Lily, wanting nothing more than to see his new little godson. The first thing he noticed as he peered inside the little bundle was the shock of jet black hair covering the tiny infant's head. Sirius couldn't contain his grin. The poor kid had inherited James' horrible hair.

"Hello, Sirius," Lily said in a soft voice so as not to wake the sleeping baby in her arms.

"Hello yourself," he replied not taking his eyes off of his godson. "Oh, the poor kid. He's stuck with Jame's bad hair."

"Bad hair? What…!" James spluttered but was cut off by Lily's mock exasperated sigh.

"I know. Poor little thing," she said as she attempted to smooth the hair on the top of her baby's tiny head.

"I'll have you know that many find my hair gorgeous," James said, crossing his arms in a pathetic attempt to sound offended, but it was ruined completely when he grinned at Lily. They all had a little laugh at that exchange.

"Come on James," Lily said. "Until I agreed to marry you, you and your hair had been the bane of my existence."

"So, have you two decided on a name for my little godson?" Sirius asked turning the conversation back to the baby.

"Harry," James announced proudly. "Harry James Potter."

"I knew you'd find some way to sneak your name in there somewhere," Sirius said with a laugh.

Lily rolled her eyes at James before she explained, "I had to do it. I wanted to name him Harry and we had to make a compromise. It was either that or calling him James Jr. And it's bad enough that he has James hair. If he looks just like him when he grows up then it'll become so confusing!"

Sirius smiled. It seemed he had been doing that a lot since he'd entered the room. Perhaps his friends' obvious good moods were contagious. Or maybe it was just the presence of baby Harry that did it. Now that he had finally seen the baby himself, he was having a hard time even thinking of all the doubts running through his head earlier.

Sirius suddenly realized that James had been talking to him. "What?" he asked James as his thoughts came back down to earth.

"Sirius, I think you ought to get your ears checked. I must've asked you at least 4 times now," James said with a goofy looking grin. "I asked if you wanted to hold Harry."

"What? Uh… now wait a minute…" was all Sirius had the chance to get out before James had gently scooped Harry from Lily's arms and placed him in Sirius'.

"Just make sure you support his head, like this," James said as he showed Sirius how to properly hold Harry.

Sirius barely even chanced breathing as he held Harry in his arms. He looked so fragile; as if he could break at the slightest wrong move. What if he dropped him? Sirius tried not to think of it and instead focused on supporting the baby's head.

His awkwardness holding Harry must have been more obvious than he thought because both Lily and James both began laughing.

"Don't worry, Sirius," Lily managed to say through her giggles, "James acted just like you are when the healer first put Harry in his arms."

That made Sirius feel better, though not by much. He did relax a little bit eventfully though. Nervously, Sirius cupped the tiny body against his chest, and with a final glance at his best friend, looked down at the baby boy in his arms.

He felt a gasp leave his mouth as he stared longingly at the tiny face, tiny toes, tiny fingers. He could feel his eyes moistening as he watched the little face snuggle against his chest, his heart, and he held him tighter to him.

"He's beautiful," he whispered. He never said that about anyone before—the word 'beautiful' always sounded so sappy to him. But it was undeniably true. James chuckled beside him, "I know."

Sirius held Harry for quite some time, occasionally adding something to the conversation Lily and James were having and eventually becoming comfortable enough with Harry to gently rock him back and forth.

As much as Sirius was afraid of responsibility, he knew he'd do anything for this little boy. He'd protect him and love him and spoil him. He'd even give his life for the little baby. And though he hoped that it wouldn't come to it, he'd raise him as his own, even though he knew nothing about kids.

Sirius wasn't sure, but as he watched Harry open his tiny mouth to let out a yawn and grab the front of Sirius' shirt in his little fist, he knew this kid was going to be something special. He didn't quite know what made him think so. It was a gut feeling.

Sirius smile threatened to split his face in two as he looked down at his godson who's little face twitched and emerald green eyes flickered open for a brief moment to stare right at the smiling man whose arms held him close.


	2. Adventures in Babysitting

**_Chapter 2: Adventures in Baby-sitting_**

Sirius Black walked down the dark alley, one of his hands in his pocket clutching his wand, and the other tightened his scarf around him in hope of getting a bit of warmth. He cursed the cold weather; and while he was at it, he cursed the Death Eaters for having brought such a dark and miserable existence to the Wizarding World. But most of all, he cursed Voldemort for having made Lily and James hide like this; it was that bastard's fault for everything happening in the world.

His eyes scanned the street, making sure not a single person was following him. When he was finally satisfied that nobody was following him, he turned to a smaller alley, almost jogging to get a bit of warmth. Why did it have to be so cold? It was almost May for crying out loud! He had to hurry though, he promised James that he babysit tonight.

Baby Harry had just turned 10 months old, and he was loved dearly. Lily, stayed with him during the day while James, was away working as an auror and as a member of the Order. Lily was nervous each time that James left the house. He could easily be killed or be blown to pieces, as so many aurors had been lately. But James was a very skilled wizard and even if something did happen to him, his friends would help Lily out… friends like Sirius Black.

Sirius was Harry's godfather, and he was very proud to be called so. He was single and had no children, but he loved Harry as if he were his own and liked to spend as much time as possible with him. James and Lily did not like going somewhere and leaving Harry because he would cry and they'd feel guilty. They left him as little as possible, but sometimes going away couldn't be helped… especially on nights like tonight.

The Potters had been invited to a meeting of international aurors to try and discuss what to do about the Death Eaters. Of course they had to go and obviously, Harry could not. So at 7:00 p.m. sharp, Sirius showed up at the Potters house, ready to take whatever little Harry could dish out.

He reached the end of the walkway before he scrutinized his surroundings; another precaution to make sure nobody was following. Pulling out his wand, he cast a spell to be certain that he wasn't being watched. Once he was sure that he was alone, he headed straight for the front door.

James had insisted that they name Sirius their Secret Keeper sometime soon. Now Sirius knew that he would rather die a thousand painful deaths than to ever betray the Potters; but he was already coming up with another plan. He was thinking that they make someone else the Secret Keeper which would ensure that Voldemort come after him. Voldemort knew that Sirius was close with the Potters and him being made the Secret Keeper was too obvious.

But nobody would ever suspect Peter Pettigrew as a Secret Keeper… Now all he had to do was tell James his plan—he had a pretty good idea what his best friend would say—but Sirius knew that he could wear him down after awhile. Sirius was willing to do whatever it took to protect his friends and his little godson.

He had been inseparable from James, and he had never thought that when Lily had married him, there would be a big difference. They could still talk, they could still hang out and they could still laugh… right? And Sirius had been right. He, Lily, and James had still seen each other almost every day, working for the Order of the Phoenix together and try to bring down Voldemort. But then, there had come something Sirius had not expected. Harry—James' and Lily's son.

He couldn't deny that he had been worried that the baby would come between him and James; he couldn't have been more wrong. The sweet little baby boy was the only ray of light that the little family had left in these dark times.

With everything happening, all the people vanishing and dying… and the possibility of the end of the world… he sometimes thought that Harry was the only thing that kept them all sane. But now Voldemort had suddenly become aware of Harry's presence because of some kind of prophecy, meaning he was targeting the whole family.

He rang the doorbell. Not even a minute passed before Lily, with Harry in her arms, opened the door.

"Hi Sirius!" she exclaimed.

He stepped inside and she gave him a hug. "Hey Lily," he said. "How's everything here?"

"Oh, we're doing ok," she replied. "Hey, who's that Harry? Huh? Who is that? Is it you goddaddy? Yeah! That's Sirius, isn't it sweetheart?"

Harry stared at Sirius, and held out his tiny little arms as if demanding that Sirius reach over and hold him.

"What are you doing?" Lily giggled. "You want Sirius to hold you?"

"Hey buddy," Sirius said, taking one of Harry's tiny hands. "What 'cha doing? Aw, you want me to hold you now?"

Harry let out a little cooing sound and started sucking on his small fingers.

"You stop that," Lily scolded gently, bouncing him up and down. "You think you can just start acting all cute and we won't go tonight? I'm afraid that it won't work this time."

Sirius grinned. "Oh, don't worry about that. I promise that he's going to have the best time."

Lily raised her eyebrows and said, "You sure about this? He can be a troublemaker." She asked Harry, "Try not to wear him out too fast ok?" She tickled his tummy, and as he began to laugh wildly, she then turned her attention back to Sirius. "Come on, I think James is in the kitchen.

She moved Harry to her other arm and led Sirius through the house to James, who was at the kitchen table reading a newspaper with a sour look on his face. He looked up when they came in and he brightened up instantly.

"Hey, there Padfoot!" James stood up and pulled him into a tight hug, the two best friends coming back to life, "How are things in the outside world?"

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Come on Prongs, you aren't that left out. You make it sound like you've been imprisoned for life. Things aren't that bad for you. And I'm fine, I suppose." He shrugged as he took off his cloak and scarf.

"Maybe so, but sometimes it feels like being in jail! If only Dumbledore would give us a little bit more information on what's going and let us go out, just a bit…" James sighed, tapping Sirius on the shoulder, "It's torture not knowing what's going on!"

"Well, you might not think so when I tell you this. I have some news and I don't think you're gonna like it," Sirius said.

"Oh no," Lily said sadly. "What's happening?"

Sirius sighed, "What do you want to hear first? Good news? Or bad news?"

"There's good news?" James asked sarcastically. "Leave the good news for last. I hate feeling depressed."

"We haven't had any good news for awhile," Lily cut in. "Let's hear the good news."

"Actually you both look like you could use some cheering up," Sirius interrupted, noticing the dark bands underneath their eyes as if they hadn't had more than two hours of sleep last night.

"Well, Dumbledore had just told me that we have apparently gained an inside spy within Voldemort's Death Eaters, though personally I can't really tell who it might be."

"Really?" Lily asked with big eyes, "I don't know any Death Eater who would be willing to help us…" She let her voice trail off, her voice becoming smaller. Sirius and James eyed each other carefully, knowing the reason of that. Snivellus a.k.a Severus Snape may be a Death Eater, but he was once Lily's childhood best friend; something James had always been jealous of.

"I swear that we really have a spy on the inside. I couldn't believe it myself when Dumbledore announced it, though I still don't know why he won't reveal who. But I guess for his protection and all… anyhow, that's about the only piece of good news I have. The rest are terrible things that occurred over this month… it's like Voldemort and his killer servants seem to becoming more in need of murder. We… we found Benjy Fenwick's body last week."

"Oh, Merlin…" James gulped, his voice suddenly depressed. The Potters had been friends with him, and his sudden murder made them all silent for a minute or two, "And… tell me Sirius, how did you find his body?"

It was a known fact that Voldemort hardly ever left any traces of his murders, but when he did, it was only in tiny pieces for the Order of the Phoenix to find. As if trying to tell them that they would be the next victims if they kept opposing them.

"Well, I suppose it can be defined as his body. We could only find a few pieces…" Sirius grimaced with a disgusted look on his face, "Terrible story. But there's more."

"More?" The couple echoed in unison, already tears in Lily's eyes.

"Uh-huh. Dorcas Meadowes, that sweet girl, was apparently killed by Voldemort himself, and her whole family was also murdered by other Death Eaters that same night," Sirius admitted.

It took few minutes for the information to sink in their brains, but when it did, Lily burst out in sobs. James hugged her tightly, tears in his eyes also. They had known Dorcas since they were in school. Now… she were gone from this world forever.

"Oh, God…" Lily sniffed, her voice barely managing to say anything, "And… that's… it… r-ight? Please say yes." She held Harry firmly to her chest as if hoping that by holding him as tight as she could, she would be able to protect him. Voldemort was coming after her baby… and if something wasn't done… it could be her son's body they find next.

Sirius nodded slowly but continued, "Well, yes. There haven't been any other murders for our side. But apparently, my _dear_ cousin Bellatrix and her little gang of Death Eaters are tracking Frank and Alice Longbottom." He hissed, a pure feeling of hate and rage boiling against Bellatrix.

James frowned, "But… nothing has happened to them, right?"

"No, nothing. They're all still in hiding," Sirius sighed, a mix of relief for the Longbottoms and sadness for all his friends that had been killed. Lily smiled sadly and kissed Harry's cheek, though she still maintained a doleful expression. Sirius awkwardly gazed around the room.

"And how have you been Sirius?" James asked.

"Me? Fine, like I said before. Kind of lonely with you guys stuck in hiding…" Sirius gulped, "But it is for your own good."

"Yes, Harry's safety is our top priority," Lily said with pure adoration in her tone for her son, "And Remus? Peter? How have they been?"

"Oh, they've been worse. It's almost the full moon and Remus is off hiding in his house so as to not hurt anyone. I think I might keep him company for when it happens… and as for Peter, he's the same as ever—though a bit shaken after we found Benjy Fenwick."

"So in other words he's the usual scardy-cat—er—I mean rat," James cracked a laugh, and Sirius joined his roaring laughter soon enough.

"So, are you really sure that you're ready to handle Harry alone?" James asked as his laughter finally died down.

"Sure, he's no problem," Sirius replied, more confident then he should've been. "He's such a good boy, he won't be any trouble."

"If you say so," James shrugged.

"What's that supposed to mean?'

"Well, he can be a handful; especially now that he's started walking. He tends to be difficult when we leave," James explained. "He _shouldn't_ be a problem, but you know how things are."

Sirius didn't have a clue what he meant but he agreed with James anyway. All was silent for a second, then suddenly, Harry exclaimed, "Dada!"

"What?" James laughed. "What d'you want, huh? Come here little man."

He carefully took Harry from Lily's arms and gave him a big kiss. Harry laughed.

"Well, what is it?" James persisted. "Are you just being a nuisance? Trying to annoy your daddy?"

He was tickling Harry all over. Harry squealed and laughed harder.

"Oh, I know, you're showing off," James decided, beaming down at his son. "Yeah, you're just showing off for Sirius! Is that what you're up to? Eh?"

"Merlin's beard!" Lily gasped looking down at her watch. "James, we need to go!"

"Oh, dang, you're right. We've gotta go Harry. Yes. Mummy and daddy need to go bye-bye, "He informed Harry. "Sirius, do you have your mirror?"

Sirius nodded and he pulled it out of his pocket. He and James had come up with their mirror system when they had been at Hogwarts. It was their means of instant communication…

"Good. Use it if you get into trouble. Now, you be careful with my son," James told him. "Harry, don't you let him party to hard. We'll be back soon, don't worry." He put Harry in Sirius's arms. "Sirius, thank-you again for agreeing to watch Harry."

"I already said that it's no problem, James. Little Harry and I will have fun. He won't even know you two are gone," said Sirius, glancing over at Harry.

"Well, we should be back in a few hours. Harry will probably fall asleep sometime soon," stated Lily.  
"I guess we'll be going then."

With more good-byes and kisses for their baby, Lily and James left for their meeting leaving Sirius alone with a rather confused Harry.

"So, Harry, I guess it's just you and me tonight. You're not going to give me any trouble are you?"  
The little green-eyed child looked up at him and stared into his godfather's own hazel eyes. They had a staring contest for a moment before Harry giggled a baby's laugh and began playing with a stuff dragon that his mother left for him.

Sirius chuckled and placed Harry on the floor where he continued to play.

"Well Harry," Sirius said, "Mommy and daddy already fed you, but they didn't feed me, so I'm going to make myself some food."

By the time that Harry was bored with his toy, Sirius had already started making his sandwich—with magic of course. A knife was spreading mayonnaise on slices of bread and another was cutting up a tomato. Thin slices of bacon were layering themselves onto the bread while the salt and pepper shakers were hovering above it all as if hanging on invisible strings. Harry watched this all with wide eyes.

"Soon, you'll be able to do that too," Sirius told Harry before taking a bite out of his sandwich. Harry smiled. Sirius finished off his sandwich with a few more bites when Harry started trying to talk to him.

"Wof, wof!" he shouted.

"Huh?" said Sirius, looking at him oddly.

"Wof!"

"Wof what? What are you trying to say?"

"Wof!"

"I still don't get it."

"Wof, wof!" Harry was starting to become frustrated by now, not understanding that Sirius couldn't comprehend his attempts at talking.

"Come on, love," he cooed. "What is it? What are you trying to say?"

"WOF!" Harry's eyes were starting to tear up.

Sirius glanced at the mirror in his pocket and then up toward the fireplace. A quick, calculating moment of desperation as he considered contacting James—or even Remus—on what the heck Harry was trying to tell him. And even though Sirius knew that Remus would come instantly, he sighed and quickly disregarded the thought. He could do this on his own.

"Your mum thinks I'm a complete idiot when it comes to babies," he said in a soft voice as he shifted Harry in his arms. Harry bawled his agreement. "Now, you don't want her to come home and find that she was right, do you?"

Apparently, Harry did.

"What Harry? I don't know what you're trying to say," Sirius said a little desperately.

"Wof, wof! Wof!" shouted the baby, even louder.

"Do you want one of your toys or something? Let's go in here and see what you've got." Sirius carried Harry back into the living room where the toy box was tucked into the corner. He gently placed Harry onto his play-rug and began rummaging through the toy box.

Sirius began pulling out random toys and games. He put each item in front of Harry, and each time, Harry would push the toy away from him. Sirius was now near the bottom of the box where all the stuffed animals were; all of which were pushed away too. Finally, he pulled out a big, stuffed, black dog, which Sirius had given Harry.

"Wof! Wof!" shouted Harry excitedly, when Sirius pulled it out. It had finally clicked in his head.

"Woof? Is that what you're trying to say?"

Harry grinned and pointed at Sirius, who was still clutching the stuffed animal. "Wof!" he said again.

"Is this what you want?" Sirius asked as he handed him a stuff dog. Harry took it, looked at it for a second, and the he threw it at Sirius.

Again, Harry pointed at his godfather and shouted his attempts of barking like a dog. Sirius thought for a moment, and finally he understood. "Oh! I get it now!" Sirius exclaimed. "Just give me a minute and we can play. Just let me put this mess away first," he said, indicating the pile of toys on the floor next to the toy box. "Locomotor Toys!"

Every toy, including the stuffed animal dog, rose up off the floor and moved in the direction of Sirius' wand. They all glided effortlessly through the air and landed neatly and quietly into the box. Harry again, watched everything his godfather did.

"Alright! Are you ready Harry? We're going to have to stay in the house though. We don't need anyone walking down the street to start panicking because they see a baby with a big black dog."

Harry smiled.

Sirius smiled back at his godson.

"Wof!" shouted Harry.

"Okay, okay. Be patient."

Sirius paused only for a second before he transformed into his animagus from of a black shaggy dog. In the next second, Padfoot was standing were Sirius had been. Harry laughed before imitating the barks of a dog again. "Wof!"

"WOOF!" barked out Sirius, hoping that Harry would be satisfied. Harry started to laugh even louder. He quickly crawled towards the Potters' coffee table so he could pull himself up. Once he was standing on his own, Sirius trotted over and touched noses with Harry. Harry started patting Sirius on the top of his head, still holding on to the edge of the coffee table with his other hand.

Harry took his hand off of Sirius' head and grabbed one of his ears. _'Oww, easy does it!'_ thought Sirius, since he wasn't able to talk now that he was in his dog form. Harry took his other hand off the table slowly, trying to get closer to Sirius without falling over. Sirius tried hard not to move for fear of having his godson fall and hurt himself.

Harry took a couple of cautious steps, while still clutching Sirius' fur, to where he was now beside Sirius. He let go Sirius' ear and grabbed a new handful of hair from his side. He buried his face in the thick fur, before he noticed the tail. He stretched out a hand, trying to grab a hold of Sirius' wagging tail.

_'You want the tail, Harry?'_ Sirius thought to himself, _'You have to work for it.'_ He stopped wagging his bushy tail so it was just within Harry's reach. Harry continued stretching his little arm until his baby-sized fingers barely touched it. But right as Harry started to close his fingers, Sirius started wagging it again so it slipped out of Harry's grasp. Harry watched as the tail swung back and forth, laughing each time it came close to his face.

Again, Sirius kept his tail still, waiting for Harry's attempts of grabbing at it. They continued playing this game until Sirius decided to let Harry feel like he accomplished something by catching the tail. But Sirius soon regretted it, for he found out that little Harry had quite a grip.

_'Owwww, OK, Let's leave the tail, and go on to something else, alright?'_ Sirius thought, just as Harry screamed out in triumph and pulled Sirius' tail hard and to the side. Harry, now satisfied with having 'caught' Sirius' tail, suddenly stumbled and fell back onto the floor. Sirius turned around to make sure that Harry wasn't hurt; but Harry began to laugh and gave his godfather a goofy baby smile. Sirius laughed to himself.

_'How about a game of Hide-n-seek?'_ thought Sirius to himself. Sirius barked loudly and sped off past Harry. The baby turned and crawled as quickly as he could in Sirius' direction. But Sirius was much quicker. He had already circled the inside of the house and had snuck up behind Harry. He nudged the baby's back with his nose, causing Harry to look over his shoulder to see who was behind him. When he saw Padfoot, he laughed loud and hard as he wrapped his arms around Sirius's neck. Sirius smiled inside and turned back around to surprise Harry again. This time he waited for Harry to come to him.

Right before Harry came around the corner of the staircase, Sirius transformed back to his human self. Harry poked his head around the turn, and Sirius shouted out "GOT YA!" which caused Harry to laugh even harder and he held up his hands, demanding to be picked up. Sirius raised Harry high up in the air, laughing at the second round of surprise. He pulled him close and blew a raspberry on Harry's cheek, winning himself another smile.

"Alright buddy. I've got to take a breath," said Sirius as he carried the child back into the living room and sat down on the couch. He sat Harry in his lap. Harry looked straight at his godfather's face with his bright green eyes before deciding to grab a hold of Sirius' long hair.

"Hey! Let go of my hair, Harry. It's my most attractive feature," said Sirius as he pried Harry's fingers off of his tresses. Harry giggled and started clapping his hands together. "Oh? Do you think that was funny?" asked Sirius in mock seriousness. A mischievous grin broke across Harry's face. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Harry looked at Sirius again and gave a tiny yawn, as if he were trying to hide the fact that he was sleepy.

"I see that someone's getting tired. Hold on just a minute and we'll try to go to sleep," said Sirius, setting Harry on the couch, among the pillows, so he was sitting upright against the back of it.

He walked into the kitchen and quickly made a bottle for Harry. When he came back, the baby was starting to doze off. Sirius chuckled and picked Harry back up as he stretched himself out on his back across the couch. He settled Harry on top of himself so he could give the baby his bottle.

Harry began to slowly drink the formula as Sirius began to hum a lullaby. In just a few minutes, Harry had fallen asleep on Sirius' chest. Sirius himself had started to feel his eyes beginning to droop too. He held Harry tight and he soon drifted off too.

_*Later*_

Sirius woke up to the sound of a set of keys jingling in the doorknob. He opened his eyes to see two of his best friends walking through the doorway. "Hey," whispered Sirius, as the two walked into the living room. "Hey Padfoot," said James.

"Yo Prongs," Sirius replied yawning. "How did it go?"

"It went alright. We came up with some pretty interesting ideas," answered Lily.

"Looks like you two wore each other out," whispered James, nodding his head towards Harry.

"Yeah. That nice neighborhood dog came by for a visit, and played with Harry for a little while," said Sirius.

"Sirius, we don't have a neighborhood dog," laughed Lily.

"Sure you do," replied Sirius with a sly smile.

"Oh! You mean that big black mutt that runs around, wreaking havoc wherever he goes?" asked James.

"Yeah. That handsome one."

The three friends laughed, causing Harry to stir in his sleep. "I should probably take him upstairs," said Lily as she reached out to pick up Harry.

"Wait," said Sirius quickly, "Is it all right if I stay here with him?" Lily looked at him, and then at her husband. "Is that all right with you James?"

James blinked in surprise before he smiled and said, "Yeah. That's fine with me."

"Thanks," said Sirius, smiling.

"Well, we'll be going to bed then."

"Alright. Thank-you again."

"Sure. And thank-you for watching him tonight. We really appreciated it," said James, walking towards his son and lightly kissing him on the forehead. Lily did the same.

"'Night Sirius."

"Goodnight you two."

Lily and James quietly walked up the stairs, leaving Sirius with Harry again. Sirius closed his eyes once more and wrapped his arms around his godson before falling back to sleep, hoping he'd be able to baby-sit another time.

(I hoped you like this chapter. Please review. I'm thinking of adding one more chapter with Sirius spending time with baby Harry before we go onto Halloween.)


	3. The Last Time

**_Chapter 3: The Last Time_**

"Honey, I'm home!" Sirius called out, coming into the house through the backdoor.

"We're in the living room," James hollered back.

Sirius found his friend going through piles and piles of papers, tossing them in every which way, obviously trying to find something. "What are you looking for, Prongs?" he asked curiously.

"For a piece of paper," James said in frustration.

"Well, I don't know if you know this," Sirius replied coolly, "But there's paper everywhere."

"Oh, shut up," James grunted, not even bothering to stop and look at him.

Harry, on the other hand, was delighted to see his godfather. He gleefully yelled out "Paafoo! Paafoo!" as held his hands up in the air, demanding that Sirius come over and pick him up.

Sirius was only too happy to oblige. He grinned down at Harry, and in a second, the baby was in his arms babbling excitedly in some unintelligible chatter.

"Hey, there Harry! How's my buddy doing?" he asked, blowing a raspberry against Harry's cheek. The year old baby shrieked with laughter.

"YES!" James exclaimed, holding up a sheaf of paper and brandishing it triumphantly. "FOUND IT!" The paper that he had been desperately searching for had been sitting on his desk the whole time. Sirius rolled his eyes, James would lose his head it if wasn't screwed onto his neck.

James pulled on his long traveling cloak. "Thanks for coming on such short notice, Padfoot," he said. "There's an emergency for the Order and Lily's going to be gone until late tonight. I should be back in a couple hours at best. Think you can handle Harry?"

"You ask me that every time I come over here, Prongs. I've been babysitting him for over a year. I think I can take care of everything," Sirius said in an exasperated tone.

"I'm just making sure," James said. "After all—you—er—you've been known to be extremely reckless."

Sirius placed a hand over his heart and pretended to look mortified. "ME? RECKELESS? ME?"

James let out a short laugh. "How long have I known you? I know what you're capable of. What took you so long to get here, anyway? How far away did you walk from?"

"Oh, I didn't walk here," Sirius told him casually as he began tickling Harry's tummy.

James looked at him puzzled, "Well, you didn't Apparate here. And I know that you didn't use Floo powder, because then you would look like you've been rolling around in the fireplace."

"I flew here," Sirius said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

James blinked a few times before he began to shout, "Sirius! You're not taking Harry up on your broomstick!"

"But you know how much he loves flying," Sirius whined. "I mean, come on, he flies his toy broomstick all the time."

"That's different! That's a TOY broomstick! We're talking about taking Harry up—what? Like 50 feet on a real broom!"

"Oh, like I'll drop Harry!" Sirius replied sarcastically. "I'll be with him the whole time! Come on Prongs… you didn't mind when I took him up the last time."

"It's not Harry I'm worried about," James said in a whisper.

"Then why are you so…" Sirius began.

"Have you lost your mind? Lily will kill both of us if she finds out that you took Harry for a ride again. Remember what she said when you brought him back when you stole him?"

Sirius winced at the memory. Sirius decided to take Harry out of the house without his parent's knowledge or permission and took him for a ride around the city on his broom. Lily had been furious when she found out that her baby boy was on the other side of the city with Sirius. Once Sirius finally brought him home, she threatened to skin both James and Sirius alive if she caught them doing that again.

"Lily sure knows how to make a good threat," he admitted, "But it's not like I stole Harry! More like—borrowed him."

James rolled his eyes, "You were using him to pick up cute girls and we both know it!"

"Oh, come on Prongs!" Sirius begged. "No harm done. Harry had a good time being out of the house for a change… and I met a couple real knockouts that day!"

"You were using a baby to get girls to talk to you," James whispered shaking his head. "You would sink that low Padfoot?"

"Hey, I could get any girl to look at me! But puppies and babies… women can't resist them!"

"You're both! So what's the problem?"

"Well, you don't need to worry. I was just planning on taking Harry for a ride around the neighborhood. Not clear across the city! You said Lily's not going to be back until later. If we just keep quiet about it…"

James shook his head. "I rather not take that chance."

Sirius shook his head this time and said, "She's got you on a short leash doesn't she?"

"If you want to face her when she finds out then be my guest. You've seen how scary she can get. For both of our sakes—promise me you won't take Harry up on your broom." And then he said as if in an afterthought, "At least wait until he's a year and a half before you give him flying lessons."

"Ok, ok, I promise," Sirius said reluctantly. That didn't seem to be enough for James, so he rolled his eyes and added, "I swear. I'll keep Harry safe. Like I would dare put Harry in danger."

James was satisfied but still looked suspicious. "Okay," he said. "You know where everything is. I should be back in a couple of hours. And please… don't do anything I wouldn't do. Bye, Harry," he said to his son, kissing the baby on his forehead. "Try not to be too difficult for him Harry," James called as he headed to the door.

"Bye bye papa," Sirius said in a high-pitched child's voice for Harry and even tried to wave the baby's hand for him. Harry, however, seemed to want to show his godfather that he could do it by himself and pulled his hand away. He open and shut his hand a few times, saying, "Bap-Bye!"

James waved at Harry and Sirius, and then rushed out the door to get away from the Anti-Apparating wards that surrounded the Potters' house.

"So, Harry," said Sirius once he was sure that James was gone. "What do you want to do?" He paused, pretending to wait for Harry to say something.

Harry said something in baby babble and Sirius said, "What? You want to go flying now? Why didn't I think of that? But daddy made me promise not to take you up on my broom."

Harry gurgled and Sirius spoke up again, "Yeah, I know, daddy's being cruel and unfair, but don't you worry, your godfather always thinks ahead. I never said that I flew here on my broomstick—I came on my motorbike."

Harry seemed to find Sirius talking to him as if he were actually answering him funny. He clapped his hands in amusement, which Sirius took this as Harry saying 'Let's go!'. Sirius lifted Harry up onto his shoulders and carried him around the house, to the back door.

They went out to the backyard and to where Sirius hid his bike. Sirius couldn't ask for a better day… it was a warm and clear October afternoon, with not a cloud in the sky. It was probably one of the last few nice days of the year before everything was going to turn cold again.

"There we go," he said, lifting Harry off his shoulders and looking at him straight in the eye. "Now, Harry, are you ready to fly on my bike with your godfather?"

Harry clapped his hands again, and Sirius grinned as he carefully placed Harry onto the bike in front of him. "Now, Harry, the first thing you need to do is turn the key. That tells the bike to turn on. Are you taking notes? Because you might be getting this bike someday." Harry had his fist in his mouth and was happily sucking on his tiny fingers. "It's going to be rather hard to say anything with your hand in there," Sirius told him, pulling Harry's hand out of his mouth. "Now, are you ready?"

"Rev-vey!" Harry said forcefully. He was just so cute that Sirius couldn't help but let out his bark-like laugh.

He knew that the baby couldn't understand what was going on, but that didn't prevent Sirius from taking Harry back into the house. Rather, he took that a sign that they should stop talking and get flying.

Very carefully, Sirius climbed onto the bike behind Harry, making sure that his godson was strapped in securely. "Now listen closely, Harry," he said. "You have to hold onto the handles very tightly with both hands. I'm afraid that we're gonna have to wait until you're a little older for you to reach them, but go with me on this." He wrapped one of Harry's hands around one of the handlebars to where the clutch was. At the same time, he placed one of his arms around the baby, making sure that there was no way that Harry would slip and fall off.

He leaned forward slightly and then, with a roar, the bike rose from the ground. "That's it," he said with a wide smile. "Let's ride!" And the next second, the bike was soaring through the sky.

What James said was true: Sirius was reckless… probably had something to do with his enthusiastic nature and how he hated waiting. However he never took chances with his precious godson if he could help it. He would rather die a painful death than to ever see Harry get hurt. He made sure Harry was perfectly strapped onto the bike and never once took his hand away from around Harry's waist as he enjoyed the rush of wind and Harry's fits of laughter.

"You're a natural when it comes to flying," Sirius said proudly. "I can't wait for you to get to Hogwarts. I swear you aren't going to have any trouble making the Quidditch team." Sirius wasn't kidding, Harry seemed to enjoy the flying just as much as Sirius did. He didn't need Sirius to hold him as held began to bounce slightly, though not even Sirius was reckless enough to move his arms from around him.

"And maybe once you're older, I'll let you take my bike out when you get yourself a girlfriend," Sirius went on. He started to speed up and then decided to give Harry a real good time. He flew over the rooftops, zoomed straight up in the air before slowly letting the accelerator die and letting them fall back to earth—only for him to start it up again when they were only a few feet from the ground.

Harry was laughing all the way. Normally, Sirius would try to get the Muggle police to chase him… only to escape them at the last minute. But he knew that he could do that with Harry with him. I mean it was only Harry's first time on the motorbike, after all. He would wait until he was about 2 years old for him to try that.

After about an hour, he decided that he should take Harry back before he was caught by James. So, he made his way back to the house and made a gentle touchdown on the back yawn. He lifted Harry up high into the air, saying, "That was great, Harry! I can't wait to see you on a broom for your first Quidditch match."

Harry smiled, and then looked above Sirius's head towards the house and cried out happily, "Mommy!"

Sirius thought that his heart stopped beating and his insides had been turned ice. He turned around slowly as if he was man about to face the gallows… and he saw her. It was everybody's worst fear—dear old mom. Lily was standing by the door and she looked ready to curse him to oblivion.

Clutching Harry to his chest, because he that the only reason he wasn't dead right now was because Lily would never attack him as long as he had Harry, he stammered in what he prayed was a cheerful tone, "Lily! Hey… I thought that James said that you weren't going to be back until late."

Harry on the other hand looked thrilled to see his mother and reached out his tiny arms and cooed, wanting her to hold him. Lily's eyes seemed to soften at how cute Harry was acting, she walked over to them and Sirius, unwillingly, gave her Harry, hoping that she was going to be merciful with his death.

She pulled Harry away from Sirius, as if Padfoot was carrying around an incurable disease, before she looked over her baby from head to toe making sure that he was in the same state when she last saw him. Once she was satisfied that he was still in perfect condition, she turned her rage onto the man who was looking towards his bike, trying to plan his escape.

"Make one move towards that wretched bike and I swear that you'll be crawling home like an insect," she growled threatening. "You're staying right here until I think of what to do with you…"

Sirius could only nod, anything to get her to stop looking like a wild animal about to eat him.

Lily started to breathe in deeply, trying to keep her temper from exploding all over the place. "Sirius. Before I kill you… what the hell did you think you were doing?"

"I was just letting Harry get some fresh air for once," he said. "I mean… ever since that damn prophecy's been made, he hasn't been allowed out of the house."

"There's a reason for that, as you know all too well!" Lily yelled. She opened her mouth to speak again, but when she saw that her yelling was upsetting Harry she then began speaking in a whisper, "Voldemort, is after Harry! He's not going to stop hunting him until he kills him! What are you trying to do? Letting him out like this is like begging for some Death Eater to come and get him! And to make matters worse, you had to take him up on that BIKE? You know how I feel about your motorcycle."

"But I was with him the whole time! I just thought that he would need some fresh air at least for an hour or two. He really had a fun time."

"Have you lost your mind? Harry is just a year old! He shouldn't be flying anything higher than that toy broomstick you gave him! I swear, this is the last time that I'll let you babysit." And she seemed to go on and on for hours. Sirius just let her yell at him until Harry began to cry.

She took several calming breathes before she finally took Harry back inside. But as she neared the door, Sirius called after her, "You know that I'd never do anything to put Harry in danger!"

"You could've fooled me! I swear I will kill you if I ever catch you doing anything like this again!" Lily said.

"I said I was sorry!" he shouted back. "But isn't Harry's happiness just as important as his safety?"

Lily stopped dead at those words. She looked at Harry's sweet face and then to her hand on the doorknob.

"I know that it may have been reckless of me," Sirius called. "But I just thought that Harry deserved to be out in the fresh air and sunshine! Not locked up all day and night like he's in prison! I mean, if you think about it, this could be the last time that he might able to be outside for ages!"

Lily sighed, and then she began talking more to herself than to Sirius, as if she forgotten he was here, "I know. How am I supposed to raise a child in the middle of a war?"

"You've done a great job so far," Sirius said. "It won't always be like this."

"But…" Lily said turning to him and said almost pleading, "What can I do to keep him safe?"

Sirius thought about that for a second and then said, "I think I know a way. Just wait for James to get home and I'll tell you."

_*Later*_

He thought it over a million times. And he knew that this was the best plan he ever came up with. And once James had arrived that night with Wormtail, Sirius told them all his plan.

He saw the worried looks on their faces, but Sirius was too busy grinning at the pure genius his plan was. Even though it would mean that Voldemort was sure to come after him… that he was certain to be tortured and killed, at least James and his family would all be safe.

It would be the best prank—and probably the last—that he and James ever pulled.

Of course, even if Death Eaters do come after him that doesn't mean that he was going to make it easy for them. He gave another famous grin, ready and willing for the fight begin. He was willing to take on the entire army of Death Eater's if it would protect the people who he considered his family. He was hoping that they would come.

It was only a matter of time.

James wasn't too happy about it at first, but in the end he gave in. Once Sirius reminded him that he had a family to protect; James agreed to make Wormtail their Secret Keeper.

He took all precautions, and was ready. Peter would be in charge of the important task of protecting the little family while Sirius was to become the bait for Voldemort. All he had to do was lead Voldemort into thinking that he the Secret Keeper—that would be the best that he could do to keep Harry safe.

Sirius had to get going. He knew the part he had to play and he better get to work on it.

He gave James a quick hug, waved goodbye to Lily, and played with Harry one last time. He checked his wand for easy draw, and then kicked his motorcycle into gear. He waved goodbye to his family, promising to be there for Halloween in just a week's time.

The image of the little family standing on the threshold of their home and saying goodbye—was forever branded into his memory.

Because it was the last time that he ever saw the family together… alive.


	4. Laughing in the Dark

**_Chapter 4: Laughing in the Dark_**

Sirius couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong as took his motorbike and gone to check on Peter Pettigrew. Something had been bugging him all night; until finally he just couldn't take it anymore. So even though he told Peter that he was going to check on him the next night he decided to go now. The Potters safety was his first priority, and since he was the one who insisted that they use Peter as the secret-keeper, he needed to make sure that everything was going as plan.

Ever since James, Lily, and Harry had gone into hiding, he'd spent each and every day worrying whether or not if they were safe, or even if they were still alive. He kept telling himself that everything was going as he planned. That there was no way that it could go wrong. That he was the perfect bait and that Voldemort was sure to come after him. They'd made Peter the secret keeper, so now there was no way that Voldemort could touch them.

Unfortunately, things had gotten so bad in the Wizarding world that even the closest of friends were suspecting each other of treachery. Sirius knew that someone in the Order was passing information to the Dark Side. Sirius has his suspicions that it was Remus who was the spy. It was obvious that someone in their close group of friends was betraying them, and Remus's hadn't been himself lately. He was away for extremely long periods of time, not telling anyone where he was going or what he was doing.

But as Sirius fly up into the sky, it was easy for him to forget the problems in the world. The wind blew through his well-kept hair as he revved up his motorcycle and rode it quickly to Peter's hideout. Every time he rode that bike he felt nothing but pure freedom and joy. The feeling he got whenever he was out on a night like this one was of absolute freedom, and he wished he soar like this all the time.

But as he touched down at Peter's hideout, which was an old-fashioned looking little flat and dismounted, his anxiety returned full force.

He knocked, and waited with bated breath for Peter to answer. Seconds ticked by with no response, and Sirius felt his heart begin to race. He'd told Peter he'd be coming, and even if he was a day early, he still expected him to answer! He'd told him specifically to stay in the house, for he was afraid that Remus was passing information to Voldemort and that any of the other Marauders were bait.

Sirius knocked again.

Still no answer.

His concern beginning to grow as his mind began to race. Why wasn't his friend answering? Now he was becoming angry as he hammered on the door and shouted, "Wormtail! It's me Sirius!"

But still nothing.

Throwing all caution to the wind, Sirius finally bellowed out, "Wormtail!" He couldn't care less if there was a Death Eater close by; the only thing that he cared about was that his friends were all safe. He didn't give a rats ass if anything happened to him, but if something happened James, Lily, and little Harry…

He didn't know what he'd do.

But Peter still didn't answer. Fear beginning to rise in him, feeling like he was about to be sick, Sirius tried to open the door. To his surprise and horror, he found that it was unlocked.

When he walked into the cottage, he couldn't see a trace of Peter or any sign of a struggle. As Sirius walked through the house, calling Peter's name frantically, his worry changed to terror.

"Peter, answer me!" he cried in panic as he searched each room. A horrible doubt entered his mind, but he pushed it away fiercely. _'No, no, that's ridiculous,'_ he told himself firmly. Peter can't be the spy. Peter was too stupid to become a Death Eater… there was no way in hell that someone as weak and pathetic could be working for Voldemort.

But the more he thought about it… the more that it seemed to make sense to him. Peter always liked big friends to look after him, that's why he was brought into the Marauders in the first place. He hero-worshipped him and James and always did what he could to help them.

But could that also mean that he was willing to do anything to help someone who was more powerful than they were?

Sirius then understood that everything he'd thought about Remus being the traitor and everything he'd concluded about Peter was terribly, terribly wrong. But if Peter really WAS the spy then that meant…

_'James… Lily… Harry…'_ he thought, a surge of blinding rage and hatred for Peter coursing through him, along with an all-consuming panic and a need to protect the three people who he loved more than life itself taking over every bone in his body.

Before Sirius knew it, he tore out of the house and jumped back onto his motorbike before heading straight for Godric's Hollow. But for the first time in his life, his flying motorbike didn't bring to him the whooping feel of freedom. Dread filled every inch of him as he got closer to the place where his best friend, his best friend's wife, and his precious Godson lived.

_'Damn you Sirius, what did you do?'_ he thought with a numb sense of horror.

It was Peter who was the spy all along, not Remus. The same weak little Peter, who Sirius would have never thought could betray anybody.

The form of a rat… the nickname Wormtail… he should've known all along that he was the spy.

They did have a rat among them all along. Oh God, James, Lily, and Harry, they were probably all dead…

_'No, no, no, they aren't dead!'_ Sirius thought desperately. _'There is still time. If I hurry I can get them all out of there and someplace safe before it's too late. I have to get there in time, I have to save them!'_

Sirius kept repeating those words over and over… but as his motorbike touched down in Godric's Hollow, he realized that he was too late. When he got close enough to see the house, he thought that he was about to be sick. The house was completely destroyed. Smoke and rubble was all that was left of the Potters' home.

He felt bile rising in his throat, and he jumped off the bike, leaving the motor running.

"JAMES! LILY! HARRY!" he let out a heartrending scream as he touched down, jumped off his bike, and ran through the wreckage of what had once been the Potters' home. "This can't be happening! This just can't be!"

As he ran to the ruins, and saw a huge figure coming towards him, holding a bundle in his arms—he pulled out his wand, expecting Voldemort or even a Death Eater—but it turned out to be Hagrid.

"Sirius? Sirius Black? Is that you? Yeh… yeh're here. I'm so sorry," Hagrid choked as tears fell from his beetle-black eyes.

"Oh God," Sirius cried as he ran, shaking, over to the half-giant. "Hagrid, that's Harry isn't it? He's gone, isn't he? He's dead, right?" Sirius was fighting a losing battle against the tears that were beginning to form in his eyes. "And James and Lily are dead too aren't they?"

"Sirius," sniffled Hagrid, tears running down his face into his bushy beard. "Listen to me…"

"WHAT?" Sirius roared, anger and desperation taking over him.

"I'm sorry, Sirius, but James an' Lily're gone," Hagrid said sadly. "Died fightin', Yeh-Know-Who. Died protectin' little Harry here. But Harry isn't dead, though. Yeh-Know-Who tried to kill 'im, but… but couldn'. He's g't a scar across his forehead, but tha's all. Yeh-Know-Who's disappeared."

Sirius's stared at him as he went very white. "Voldemort's g-gone?" he stuttered. "And Harry's still alive?"

"He's just fine, Sirius," Hagrid answered him. He then moved parts of the blankets he was holding aside so that Sirius could see a pair of bright green eyes staring at him. Sirius walked over to get a better look…

Harry was indeed alive. The baby was looking at him with a bewildered expression like he didn't have the slightest clue what was going on. Which, Sirius reminded himself, he probably didn't. And aside from the lightening cut on his forehead, Harry looked exactly the same way he did when he took the boy out for a ride on his motorcycle last week.

A agonizing pain like a stabbing wound in Sirius's heart began to hurt him the moment that Hagrid told him that James and Lily were indeed dead. But the fact that Harry was still alive was like a lifeline to him. It was the only thing that kept him from losing his mind and letting despair come over him.

"Please," Sirius croaked out. "Give Harry to me, Hagrid. I'm his godfather. I'll look after him."

But Hagrid simply shook his head sadly.

"Can' do tha' Sirius, I'm sorry," said Hagrid laying a hand on the black-haired man's shoulder. "Dumbledore's orders. I'm ter take Harry ter 'is aunt an' uncle."

"PETUNIA?" Sirius screamed in rage; any remaining restraint leaving him. "No! You can't take him there! Petunia is horrible! That family hates magic! Please you can't take him there!"

"Sirius," Hagrid began but Sirius heard enough.

"Please, give Harry to me, Hagrid," Sirius begged, knowing that his beloved godson was all he had left.

"I'm sorry," Hagrid repeated, "but it was Dumbledore's orders. And I can' disobey Dumbledore, Sirius. He says that it's the best place for Harry and we just need to trust him."

"Fine!" Sirius bellowed, suddenly feeling a corrosive hatred so huge towards Peter Pettigrew pounding through him that he had to run, to escape, he felt the need to do something stupid and reckless. If Hagrid wouldn't let him take Harry, then he decided that he'd get revenge on the man that ruined his life. Once his friends had been avenged, he would sort out the mess with Harry. But then again… he realized with another pang of anger—Dumbledore thought he had been Secret Keeper.

Which meant that the ministry was sure to come after him because they thought that he was the one who betrayed the Potters.

"Take my motorbike," Sirius added loudly. "It'll get you there faster. I won't be needing it anymore"

Hagrid put an enormous hand on Sirius's shoulder. "Yeh sure, Sirius?" he asked gruffly. "I know how much yeh love that bike."

"Yes, now just go!" Sirius shouted bitterly. But then his voice became very quiet and he asked softly, "But… can I… can I just say goodbye to him?"

Hagrid gave him a sympathetic look and nodded, before very gently handing the bundle over to Sirius. Sirius took Harry, who was looking at him with such a trusting look in his eyes that it nearly broke Sirius's heart. The fact that Harry was expecting him to be the one to take care of him and that everything was going to be ok was too much for Sirius to bear.

"Pa'foo?" Harry cooed as he gazed up into his godfather's face, not understanding why Sirius was starting to cry.

Sirius just stared at Harry, committing every part of his godson face to memory. He whispered, "Don't worry, Harry. Everything will be fine, and I'm sure I'll see you again. Hagrid will take care of you. Be good for him ok?" Finally, he took a deep breath and nodded, as if trying to convince himself that this was the only option.

With nothing more he could think of to say, he kissed Harry's forehead where the lightening scar was before he handed the baby back to the half-giant.

"Just go, Hagrid," he said in a dead voice. "Get Harry out of here."

Hagrid gently took Harry from Sirius's arms. "I'm sorry," Hagrid blubbered again. "But I'll brin' back your bike, Sirius."

Hagrid then got on the motorbike, cradling Harry in his arms. Sirius watched as Hagrid took off into the night, and faded into the distance with the only family that he had left.

Sirius stared up at the sky long after the half-giant disappeared. He couldn't seem to bring himself to tear his eyes away. But at last, the sound of a crumpling building brought him back to his senses. He looked at the destroyed house and knew that he couldn't leave yet. Knowing what he needed to do, but terrified to do it, he headed to the remains of the front door. Hagrid had told him James and Lily were dead—but he knew that he wouldn't be able to move on until he'd confirm it with his own eyes.

Shaking from head to toe, he stepped across the threshold. And there, on the hallway floor, was a sight that will haunt Sirius for the rest of his life. It was the form of a body lying beneath the rubble.

Tears falling from his eyes in a flood, Sirius began to move the wreckage, his hands starting to bleed from the splinters of wood, or shards of glass. He didn't notice it however, his physical pain was nothing compared to the pain inside his heart.

Finally, he came across the last fallen beam. Lifting it, he found underneath the very body he had been dreading to see. "Oh God," Sirius whispered in horror as he unearthed the body of James Potter. His friend, his fun-loving, mischievous best friend—his partner in crime who he'd spent so many years having laughs, sharing jokes, and experiencing all that life had to offer—had a terrified but determined look on his face. James lay on the floor with his glasses broken and askew, his hazel eyes wide open, staring at the night sky like a doll, his arms spread wide, no wand in his hand.

As Sirius bent down and threw the glasses off, he stared into James's blank, lifeless eyes. They had lost all their warmth and sparkle; no laughter was in them now at all. His face was full of fear and shock, but also had pure determination on it; he had gone out wanting to do nothing more than protect his family.

Sirius kept staring into the eyes of his best friend, begging them to blink, for this all to be a trick, for James to sit up and start laughing. But nothing of that sort happened. His best friend just continued to lie there, as if he were nothing more than a rag doll.

Sirius wondered numbly why he didn't have his wand on him before realizing that it must have been because he trusted Peter so damn much that he didn't even have his wand when Voldemort smashed the door in. He must've been so sure that nothing could go wrong because he and his family were safe and protected.

And Sirius felt a fresh surge of corrosive disgust at Peter go through him even stronger than before if that was possible. Sirius took James in his arms and cradled him close. "Prongs, please wake up!" he screamed. "Prongs, please don't do this to me! I know that this was my fault, Prongs. I'm so sorry… I'm so, so sorry…"

A primal, animalistic scream erupted from him, and it rose into the night, a scream of a man who had just lost a part of himself. He screamed until his throat was raw, the grief and agony choking him.

Tears came to his eyes then, and Sirius could not stop them from falling. He gathered his dead best friend in his arms, screaming apologies to the man who would never laugh again, never pull pranks with him again, sobbing as he rocked him both back and forth. He roughly shook James's shoulders in a futile attempt to wake him up; but James kept staring straight ahead, his fearful and determined visage burning a hole right in Sirius's heart.

After awhile, when he had worn himself out, he gently lowered James's body to the ground. "I'm so sorry, mate," he whispered. "But I promise that I'm going to set things right."

He knew that finding Lily was next, and he braced himself for the sight of another dead body. Upstairs, he checked each room until he got to Harry's nursery, and what he found inside broke what was left of his heart.

Lying on the floor right in front of Harry's crib, was Lily Potter. Her beautiful green eyes, exactly like her son's, were wide opened with pleading look in them. Sirius couldn't bear to look at her; it was as if her emerald eyes had been begging him to help, and he hadn't been able to do anything for her. Pain engulfing him as he picked up Lily's body and carried her back downstairs to where her husband was. The least he could do was to bring them back together.

He carefully laid her down on the first floor landing before pulling what was left of the rubble off of James's body and carried him over to the woman that his best friend had loved with all his heart. Once that they were both laying side-by-side, he slowly reached over and closed both sets of dead eyes—knowing that they will never open again.

With one last look at his friends' faces, Sirius turned and left the house. The only thing on his mind was revenge… to find Peter Pettigrew, and kill him.

He vowed that he would find and kill Peter even if it meant his own death. He quickly transformed into the large black dog and began to run. He ran as far and fast as he could away from the remains of the house where his family once lived.

_*Hours later*_

Sirius had hunted for the traitorous rat all night. He didn't know or care how long it would take; all he knew was that he was on the right trail. It was early morning, when the Muggles were just leaving their houses and going to work in the heart of London, did Sirius finally track down the little piece of scum. Wormtail was running along an alleyway, trying hard to avoid being seen.

He could see Peter, a literal rat, cowering, hurrying to get as far away from the Wizarding world as possible. No one else was paying him the slightest bit of attention until he was face to face with his former friend. Upon changing back into a human, not even caring if the Muggles saw him, Sirius roared, "WORMTAIL! DON'T THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Peter stopped, terror in his eyes as he looked at Sirius. "S-S-Sirius, w-w-what are you t-talking ab-about?" he stammered.

"YOU KNOW BLOODY DAMNED WELL WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! JAMES AND LILY… THEY TRUSTED YOU!** I** TRUSTED YOU AND WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU SOLD THEM OUT TO VOLDEMORT! HOW COULD YOU? YOU WERE THEIR FRIEND! YOU…" Sirius was so furious that he couldn't think of a bad enough word to call the rat as he pulled out his wand. Peter stopped short, fear in his eyes as Sirius ran up to him.

He was going to do it. Now was the moment that he had been waiting for—he was going to avenge Lily and James—he was going to kill Peter.

He was expecting to hear some pathetic excuses about how Voldemort had forced him to tell, and that he didn't mean for it to happen. What he didn't expect was Peter opening his mouth, tears falling from his eyes, and screamed even louder than Sirius had, "HOW COULD YOU SIRIUS!" Sirius raised his wand, but Peter's sudden yell caught him off-guard. "LILY AND JAMES, SIRIUS! HOW COULD YOU?"

"WHAT?" Sirius snarled. Peter's shout had been louder than Sirius's, believe it or not, and a crowd of Muggles stopped and stared at the spectacle that was taking place in front of them. "HOW DARE YOU!" Sirius roared.

Those words did it, he raised his wand, prepared to curse Wormtail into oblivion, but what he had thought was an useless little man was far too quick for him.

**BANG! **

The street suddenly exploded, raining debris flew everywhere. Muggles were screaming, and Sirius fell backwards, choking on dust as he struggled to process what had just happened. As the dust cleared, he saw Peter assuming the form of the rat and escape into the sewers. While about a dozen Muggles lay limp and lifeless on the ground, members of their families screaming and hollering.

When he got to his feet, all he could see were some bloodstained robes, and a finger in the exact place where Peter had been standing when he cornered him.

It took a few seconds for Sirius to realize what just happened. The same Peter, who couldn't pull a prank without screwing it up, had fooled everyone. Peter had framed him for betraying his best friends as well as murdering him and all these innocent Muggles.

Sirius gazed at the scene in front of him in stunned silence, and then, suddenly, he started to laugh. But not one of the laughs that he used to share with James after they had successively pulled a prank. This laugh was empty, mirthless, one of complete madness, the laugh only capable for someone who had lost everything including his own sanity. Thoughts swirled around in his head, with one being at the center. Harmless little Peter, the hopeless Wormtail had actually gotten the better of him.

Sirius heard the sounds of apparition wizards coming to see what had happened. He knew that the Aurors were here for him. Sirius Black, the man who always swore that he'd never be like the rest of his family, was going to be sent to Azkaban, for a crime he didn't even commit.

Ministry officials arrived, "Sirius Black, lower your wand or we aim to kill!" a voice boomed. It was Barty Crouch, and he was pointing his wand at Sirius's heart threateningly. "I'm warning you Black! If you don't lower your wand in the next second you're a dead man!"

Sirius did as he was told, but he continued to stand there laughing. Even after they had put him under arrest, and dragged him away, he continued his deranged laughter. After all, he did everything in his power to try to prevent the deaths of his dearest friends, and because of his stupid idea, they were really what caused them.

He had lost everything and the only way to prevent the tears from falling was to laugh.

(Please review)


	5. Screams Through the Walls

**_Chapter 5: Screams Through the Walls_**

SLAM!

The door to Sirius Black's cell was slammed shut and the sound was so final that it chilled him to the bone. He couldn't believe that it came to this, that now he's stuck in hell on earth for the rest of his life. He was betrayed by someone he trusted as a friend, while the people that were as dear to him as family were gone. Worse of all… he knew that it was all his fault.

Dementors walked passed him, destroying every happy memory he had. He sat there with his head in his hands, trying to hold onto his sense of self. Trying hard not to let his nightmares destroy his mind.

A dementor walked by again, and the cold filled Sirius with a terror and grief that he never felt before. His worst memories begin to take hold and fill his heart with terror: his mother disowning him the day he ran away from home. Remus yelling at him after he sent Snape down the Whomping Willow, James telling him off for using one of his best friends as a revenge tool…

Seeing all those innocent Muggles lying dead in that street… seeing his best friend's house completely destroyed… James's and Lily's eyes staring up at him—lifeless…

Forced to give up Harry…

WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN?

A particularly fat, gray rat scuttled into his cell, and he picked it up by its tail. He said, "This is what I'm going to do when I get hold of you Peter," before he bashed the rat repeatedly against the wall, well after it was dead.

He sank to the ground, sobbing before he flung the rat away. He folded his arms over his knees and buried his head, still sobbing, still making the same pitiful noises.

"Why Peter? Why did you do this to me? To Lily and James? To Harry? Oh Harry. I'll probably never see you again. Why did I chase after that rat? He was just a worthless piece of scum! He shouldn't have even been worth my time! Why didn't I just stay with you? Go straight to Dumbledore and told him what happened? Your parents… my best friends… he took my life when he took your parents'. They were my life. My family. You were my family."

He begins to laugh hysterically, just like he'd done it on the street after Peter got the better of him. Harmless little Peter! Little Peter, who cut off his own finger and crawled into the sewer like the traitorous little rat he is. Peter, who framed him for killing James, Lily, and twelve Muggles, all of who had less than nothing to do with any of this. Who'd have thought it?

He curls up into a little ball on his cell floor, every nerve of his body shaking with grief and rage. The Ministry officials who escorted him here have just been sent away, and he is now here by himself, left him to deal with the pain of the complete solitude.

That was how he spent his first night in Azkaban… the first of many. Forced to spend it shivering and shaking on his tiny bed, listening to the screams of the other criminals through the walls. He is in the maximum security part of the prison, which meant the dementors were outside his cell day and night. Every minute, every second, becomes a struggle, a fight to remain sane.

"James… Lily… Harry… Remus… I'm so sorry," he whispered as he began to cry. Tears stream down his handsome face, and he knew that he would soon lose even that. He had one job! One stinking job! To protect his family! And he couldn't even manage that right! It was his fault that Lily and James were dead. If he hadn't been so stupid to suggest Peter to be the Secret Keeper then he wouldn't be stuck here right now.

His visions of spending time with baby Harry, to be a family with the Potters shattered and fell away from him… forever.

He gripped his hair and started to pull it out. He would've died—been tortured—before he let anything happen to them. He continues to tangle his hands through his hair, screaming loud, deafening notes and pulling it out. The images of Lily and James's lifeless eyes were haunting him, and seeing little Harry in Hagrid's arms, being taken away from him… it was all too much to take in. He curled up into as tight as a ball that he could become and wished that he could turn the clock backwards.

He would never play with Harry, take him out on his motorcycle, or play Quidditch with James again. Never to see his friends laughing and enjoying themselves again… And it's all because he made one mistake—a mistake that he'll regret for the rest of his life.

"I'm so sorry!" he screamed, banging his fists on the hard floor until his knuckles were bleeding, but he doesn't care. His physical pain was nothing to the emotional anguish he is feeling.

And Remus… oh, Moony. To think he could suspect such a gentle person, werewolf or not, of disloyalty! He banged his head against the wall, relishing the pain it causes.

"Damn you, Wormtail!" he screams. His voice finally dying, he collapsed, his breaths shallow gasps, tears continuously falling. "Why? Why did this have to happen?" he says in a hoarse whisper.

As the minutes tick past, he knows that no matter what, he can't take back what he's done. He deserves it. He deserved every lonely second in this hell-hole. He deserves this cold emptiness that was freezing his insides. He deserved to be locked up as a cold-hearted murderer. And he might as well be, for who would be so evil as to fail his friends? "Sorry," he croaks out, his nightmare filled sleep finally washed over him. "Forgive me, please."

The days and nights go by, blurring into one another. Each day becomes a struggle to tell the difference between the present and the past, trying to fight back the memories as they swirl around him.

The one memory which always breaks his heart is his last goodbye to James and Lily. He remembers hugging James fiercely, waving goodbye to Lily, and holding Harry one last time before he jumped onto his bike and rode off into the night. He will remember that last goodbye every day and night, for he hears it whenever the dementors pass.

The only thing that keeps Sirius sane through his time in Azkaban is the fact that he's innocent. But it's hard to hang onto that thought while he's so cold and isolated on this island, and he hears the inmates shrieking in pain and agony. They're always talking about how they think Peter Pettigrew double-crossed them, and Sirius feels rage boil up inside him whenever he hears that name. He tries to hold back his anger by thinking about Harry, baby Harry, who was the only family he had left. The times were Sirius used to take his godson out for rides on his motorcycle or played hide-n-seek while as a dog. He wants desperately to be with Harry again, for the baby to try to catch his tail and to laugh every time his godfather would make a funny face. He wished he could feel the sun on his face, and as far as possible from this torture.

But he knew as soon as the guard pushed him roughly inside his cell, and slammed the door, he knew that he wasn't leaving. Every time someone would visit the prison to inspect it, he tries to explain what happened, that he was innocent, but no one ever listened to him. So the constant fight to get through each day and night continues. But he had to keep going… keep going until he made up for his past mistakes.

Sirius shivered. The solitude alone was enough to make you mad even without the influence of the dementors gliding past.

In an effort to comfort himself he attempted to picture in his mind the James and Lily's wedding day. It was a match made in heaven and the ceremony had been beautiful. He tried to think of the outdoor wedding and the sweet aroma of flowers and champagne in the air. His smiled slightly but the next second, the images dissipated into thin air, leaving behind the harsh reality and the bitter truth that his friends were dead.

His nightmares came back to him in full force.

_His mother was shrieking, disowning him all over again._

_The face of Severus Snape, leering at him…_

_The burnt rubble of the Potters' home while Harry had a searing slash across his forehead…_

_Wormtail escaping… the true rat._

But Sirius was innocent.

He took a tighter hold to his only line to sanity and refused to let go. He opened his eyes to find himself splayed out on the rough floor. He was innocent. As he repeated that thought over and over, forever engrained into his mind, the chill and prevailing emotions gradually lost potency until they were not quite so overpowering.

He was innocent. And he wasn't going to lose his sanity because of a crime he didn't do. And he sure as hell wasn't going to let the man who really betrayed his best friend get off free forever.

He was innocent and he was never going to quit trying. He would stay sane, retain his powers, escape and then finally track down Peter to make him pay. He would do it even if it took the rest of his life. He would avenge James, Lily, Harry and everyone else that had suffered because of Peter and his betrayal.

A bitter smile formed. He wasn't perfect. He knew that he had made some big mistakes in his past but he would never have turn his back on his friends. He can be a idiot at times, but he would have died a thousand painful deaths before going over to the dark side.

But Peter had turned his back on everyone who was once his friend. They would've died protecting him and yet he sent Voldemort after James and his family, murdered thirteen Muggles and sent Sirius, to Azkaban. And he did all this without remorse.

But Sirius would get his vengeance. It might take a while but he would one day make sure that Wormtail paid for all of his crimes. He just needed to wait until the time was right.

_*12 years later*_

_'How many years have I been sitting here, rotting alive?'_ Sirius thought to himself. Five, ten, one hundred? He lost count.

Sirius Black, was sitting in the exact same spot he'd been forced to stay in since he was first locked away. He sat huddled in the corner of his cell trying unsuccessfully to keep the misery and desolation from pervading his mind. He was left to slowly but surely lose grasp of reality, the fight of living. He was left to lose his sanity, little by little, until he was used to the screaming lunatics that were also trapped here.

He pushed himself up and ran his fingers through his hair. It had grown long and unruly with no way to cut, wash, or comb it. He felt like a greasy mop was growing out of his head instead of the hair that was once his pride and joy.

It's impossible to define exactly what the dementors do to him anymore… it had been too long. It used to be definite fear, swimming images, recognizable screams, names neatly scrawled in death. It'd been torture; shackling him to his own dark memories.

He soon found transforming helped, though only by a little bit. Whenever he goes to sleep as Padfoot he could sleep without dreams.

The years had continued to come, but he barely noticed it… wishing for the sun every day. Every morning when he woke up was the same. He asked himself who he was, why he felt so miserable, and who it was that kept sobbing in his ears. He then realized that it was himself…

But that day something happened out of the ordinary. It was so unexpected, so longed for, that he finally snapped out of his brooding consciousness and felt a human emotion akin to one Sirius Black had once felt – excitement.

A man passed by, casually peering into each cell. He was a little short, balding man with a giant bowler hat. Coincidentally, or perhaps deliberately, he skipped a glance when passing Sirius.

"Excuse me, sir," he called, surprised that he could still speak, however hoarse it may have sounded.

The man stopped dead in his tracks, and slowly turned around to face his cell. Their eyes met, which were barely noticeable through the small barred opening in the door.

"W-what do y-you want?" he stuttered awkwardly. Sirius was sure that he recognized him, though he couldn't remember from where. He seemed as if he recognized him though.

Sirius wanted to talk to someone… to use his voice, and talk to a human causally for the first time in years. "Weather…" Sirius croaked. "Tell me what the weather's like today."

"Ah…" said the man. He seemed to be trying to figure out if Sirius was trying to mess with his head or not. "It's… sunny. Perfectly bright and sunny."

Sirius moaned as he closed his eyes, trying to picture the sun. But he couldn't no matter how hard he tried.

"Are you done with your paper?" he then asked.

The man seemed taken aback. "What?"

Sirius nodded to the newspaper under his arm. "Are you done with it? It's just so boring here—I miss doing the crossword."

The man's shallow eyes narrowed, like he couldn't decide whether or not Sirius actually wanted the newspaper so that he could kill him with it. But after a minute he nodded curtly and handed over the news through the bars. Cornelius Fudge, as the man had revealed himself to be, was clearly unnerved that a man who'd been sent here to rot was speaking to him in such a civilized manner. Sirius didn't notice him walk off, as he was already absorbed into today's news.

Oh, the paper was so _clean_, even though it was saturated with ink, it was clean ink because it hadn't been there long enough to be tainted by the dementors.

The date was July 26, 1993. It had been nearly twelve years since he had been trapped in hell. He sat huddled in the corner of his cell, gaze fixed avidly on the photo in the newspaper article in front of him. The clipping read:

_Minister of Magic Employee Scoops Grand Prize._

_Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw._

_A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank."_

_The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend._

The photograph contained, what he guessed to be the nine Weasleys waving furiously as they stood in front of a massive pyramid. He scanned the article, his eyes green with envy, wishing that he could be underneath that hot sun as well.

Yet it was not any of the grinning Weasleys that drew his attention. Rather it was the large black rat perched on one of the boys' shoulders. The boy stood tall, his arm around his sister, but on the opposite shoulder sat a small, ill-looking rat.

The rat in the picture scurried to the boy's other shoulder with a sort of hobble that haunted him. He brought the paper so close, it nearly grazed the tip of his nose. Owing to the sheer size of the picture, Sirius was able to see one of the rat's small, thinning hands in detail – with a finger amiss.

"WORMTAIL!" Sirius raged, leaping to his feet suddenly and new blood pounded in my ears and heated my face. The BASTARD! He reread the article… and one word stood out… Hogwarts. Sirius's hands began shaking so violently, the paper slipped. He bit his lip to keep from yelling in fury, persisting until blood was spilling out.

He knew where the rat was now. Wormtail was at Hogwarts… as now some child's pet. A child maybe only twelve or, or thirteen years old. He scanned the article again rushing through all of the pointless chattering and found the mention of their youngest boy, Ron.

"…and Ronald Weasley will be starting his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a Gryffindor…"

Bile actually rose in his throat and he had difficulty swallowing it down. That putrid _thing _was around children? Showing his ugly rat-face in a dorm full of lions no less, almost like he was trying to recreate his childhood, and it'd be complete with a Potter in his midst—Sirius's gut clenched and he nearly puked right then. Peter was an arm's length from a dozen wands and Harry Potter. Not only was he the son of the people he'd betrayed, but also the Boy-Who-Lived and the reason for his Voldemort's disappearance.

The rat was perfectly positioned to hand Harry to Voldemort if he heard even the slightest rumor that the dark side was gaining power. He had to stop that from happening. Harry was his best friend's son and his godson, Sirius could not bear the thought of anything or anyone harming him.

Sirius started to hyperventilate and his vision darkened around the edges. He could feel the rage clawing at his insides, longing to get out and hunt down that piece of filth Wormtail. Before he just wanted out of this damned prison because it ate away at his soul and his sanity, but now he _needed _to get out because no one knew what kind of danger that Harry was in. He had to get out and find him, he had to protect him!

Sirius hadn't been able to protect him so far—in these eleven, no wait, twelve?—in these twelve years. They stole TWELVE YEARS from him; they stole HIS GODSON from him. He haven't even seen pictures of him in all this time. Was he okay? Was he healthy? Happy? Did he still look like James? Were his eyes—they were Lily's eyes, weren't they?—oh God, he couldn't remember anymore! He have to protect him, from Peter. He had to rectify the mistake that he made all those years ago.

He knew that Harry most likely didn't even know that he had a godfather. If he did, and knew it was Sirius Black, then he would believe, like everyone else, that it had been him that had betrayed James and Lily. Harry would hate him.

But not for long.

Sirius would find Peter and his name would be cleared. This time, he would be given a chance to explain. At the very least he would be given a court trial before being sent back to Azkaban. And if that did happen, he would get Peter before he went. The traitor wouldn't get off this time.

Now all he had to do was escape from this frozen prison.

It doesn't matter what happened to him anymore. He no longer placed any value over his own life. He had enough of waiting… he was getting out of here and killing the rat if it was the last thing he did. All he needed was some kind of plan.

With that, he shuffled over to the pile of rags that served as his bed, holding onto the newspaper clipping left by the minister's visit. He fell asleep, as Padfoot, dreaming of ways of breaking out, the eerie sound of the dementors' rattling breath in the background.

Without him knowing about it, he exhaling three words, which repeated themselves, almost mockingly, setting his dreams onto one track, and one track only.

"He's at Hogwarts, he's at Hogwarts, he's at Hogwarts…"


	6. A Door Unlocked

_**Chapter 6: A Door Unlocked**_

It was early in the morning, but everything was still dark—and far colder. A rolling mist cloaked the island, a sea vapor that left water running in brooks down the creases of rocks, to pool and turn to cracked ice at their bases. It didn't matter that the snow was long gone; on the island it was always as cold as a nightfall in winter.

It is here that the infamous Sirius Black finally gets the drive to do something about the real betrayer Peter Pettigrew. A few days ago, he saw on the front of the Daily Prophet the betraying little rat, on a Weasley boy's shoulder.

The boy was going back to Hogwarts this year… to where Harry was. He was in perfect position to hand over Harry if there was so much as a whisper that Voldemort was getting stronger. Nobody knew about the danger that Harry was in. Sirius was the only person who knew that Wormtail was still alive and he would rot in hell before he let any harm come to his godson. Over the years, he constantly practiced becoming Padfoot as a way to try and suppress the effects of the dementors.

So when the door opens and a dementor brings food into his cell, he was ready to try to slip out. He counted seven dementors… seven, for one man, day and night! He noted again how lucky he had been to keep hold of his sense of self despite all the years he had trapped here.

The door creaked open, as the dementor came in and set down a bowl of some disgusting, slimly gruel. He was shaking as the all-too-familiar cold crept up his bones, as if ice was freezing all the blood in his body, but he had to try… try while he still had some sanity left in him.

It was finally time to break out.

As the guard began to close the door behind itself, he held his breath, Sirius transformed into Padfoot. He slipped through the bars of his 12 year old prison, the grim-like dog ran past the dementors, ducking into empty nooks whenever he felt the cold grip his heart.

Trotting past the other cells, he couldn't help but hear their inhabitants' incomprehensible shouting and screaming. He couldn't help wondering if any of them were innocent of their crimes like he was…

He highly doubted it.

They, at least, have all been given trials before they were tossed in her. He on the other hand was thrown in here because no one doubted that he was guilty. And while he was blamed for something he didn't do… the true culprit was awarded an Order of Merlin First Class, and honored like a hero.

If only he used his brains and had informed Dumbledore that they changed the Secret Keeper to Peter. If only he hadn't insisted they use the rat in the first place.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Sirius turned returned to the task at hand, he could think all he wanted to after he got out of here. No one had ever escaped from Azkaban before for a reason and he had to rely on instinct.

He intended to get out of here in one piece. This would not be an attempt like so many prisoners before him have tried and failed. He could not bear the thought of Peter Pettigrew, sitting on that boy's wizard's shoulder, thinking that he got away with everything.

Making his way down the dark corridor, he couldn't help but notice that several of the Dementors standing guard outside their respective cells turned themselves to follow his progress in confusion… not understanding what was happening. He automatically picked up his pace, wanting nothing more than to get away from their foul presence once and for all.

He reached the end of the corridor and turned a corner, he paused to sniff the foul air before continuing, his claws clicking faintly on the stone floor. He kept running, and saw the walls were lined with cells after cells, most with a guard keeping watch just outside the doors. He was awed at just how large the prison was. There must have been at least a thousand prisoners and perhaps twice times as many Dementors sucking the happiness out of them all.

And then he picked up the smell of fresh air. It burnt his throat and nostrils as he panted, his tongue lolling out to the side of his jaws—he needed to get there! He was almost outside now! For the first time in twelve years he was going to step foot back out into the world.

He reached a small concrete room, he needed to get out more than ever now, he decided that he would relish last bit that freedom had to offer. He was almost there. Every step brought him closer to freedom… and revenge. Every step he took brought him closer to the sounds of harsh waves lapping against the shore.

He could see windows now and sunlight was streaming in, bringing light to a dark place. There weren't any bars on them. Light! He couldn't remember the last time he saw it or what it looked like. It almost brought tears to his eyes. This was his way out. He put his paws up against the wall and was able to scrape his way up the wall and to the window ledge. Looking out, he saw that he was on the third floor but still he jumped out. He had waited too long for his freedom to stop now.

But just as he jumped… he heard it. It was a long, drawn-out wailing; it was a shrieking cry that seemed to come right out of the darkness. It felt like it caused the strong enchantments wrapped round the stones of the fortress walls to quake. It was the Azkaban prison siren, warning every hooded guard on the hellish rock of that one of their prisoners were escaping. Which meant that person would be the next one to receive the Kiss…

He landed with a light thump on the rocky ground outside the stone walls and continued to the water's edge without stopping once. The mist seemed to shrink and beckon, as if it knew that Sirius was coming. And, sure enough, within seconds, the thin dark form of Padfoot could be seen streaking towards the shore with what little strength and speed he had left. He went bounding with a grace and iron resolve that only appeared to those desperate enough to do anything.

Sirius was running for his life, or rather his soul, as he went leaping over the salt covered rocks and slipping on the seaweed. His gaunt and haunted looking eyes blazed on his skeleton-like face, burning with meaning and an uncontrollable anger. In the distance, the sinister forms of the dementors were rising from the fortress, their menacing gaping mouths, hiding underneath their hoods, were all turning, searching…

But Sirius didn't even look back. His limbs were cramping and aching after all the years of confinement to his cell, while his breath came in hot, agonizing gasps. But the great rock on which Azkaban was built upon was small and the sea was suddenly within his sight.

He was almost there! He had to keep going—he couldn't stop now!

He bounded into the water with a splash and started to doggy-paddle to the far shore. With the first taste of sea-spray, he also tasted freedom. His body suddenly became numb… he couldn't feel the pain in his over-worked limbs, he didn't feel anymore fear for the hooded figures which were now gliding with surprisingly speed over the rocks behind him… but even then he feared nothing. All he could feel was the weight of freedom and pure euphoria.

The guards turned their attention towards the sounds of Sirius splashing, but they were too late. All they could feel were the confused impressions of some half-human presence that was able to slip past their senses, and uselessly they tried to find the ever-fading emotions…

And while the exhausted creature continued to battle his way furiously through the clashing waves, choking on salt water and half frozen in the cold of the North Sea, an urgent message was being sent to the Ministry of Magic.

A message saying that, for the first time in history, one of the highest-security prisoners had successfully escaped from the fortress of Azkaban.

Sirius was fighting not to pass out, trying desperately to beat the current. How was he supposed to protect Harry if he died out here in the water? Far from his intended destination and dying before he had a chance to finally get even with that rat Wormtail? How was he going to ever see his baby godson if he gave up now?

Tired, cold, and in pain, Sirius Black pushed on, ignoring the excruciating pain in his heart for daydreams about what Harry would look like when he found him at last.

Sirius had forced his way through the mauling waves, his snout was above the rolling water as his paws paddling desperately. Suddenly, huge wave came completely out of nowhere. In one second it had swept right over him… and then the next… he was gone.


	7. Unexpected Visitor

_**Chapter 7: Unexpected Visitor**_

_Sirius had forced his way through the mauling waves, his snout was above the rolling water as his paws paddling desperately. Suddenly, huge wave came completely out of nowhere. In one second it had swept right over him… and then the next… he was gone._

He was shivering underneath the cold water. It felt as if ice was creeping up his bones and was freezing his blood. But this cold was nothing compared to the last 12 years of frozen despair from the Dementors… and he wasn't going back.

He was running low on air, he dog-paddled upwards, trying to reach the surface so he could breath. Finally, his shaggy head broke through and the harsh salt water burned his lungs. But it tasted fresh, clean… completely different to the foul air in Azkaban. He loved the pain it caused.

He was swimming, trying desperately to beat the current. How was he supposed to protect Harry if he died out here and let Wormtail get away? Tired, cold, and aching, Sirius forced himself to keep going—ignoring the ache that the air and sea was causing him.

He didn't know how he was able to do it, but before he knew it Azkaban was far behind him. After hours of non-stop swimming, he was finally able to pull himself up onto the rocks lining a far coast. Exhausted and weak, he forced his worn-out body up onto the rocks and onto solid ground. Once he found his footing, he shook his soaked fur, sending droplets of water flying in all directions. He turned back to see how far he had gone.

He certainly swam a long way… he couldn't see anything but fog and salty sprays stretching all the way to the horizon. Still in his dog form, he slowly dragged his drained body over the rocky sands and onto the wasteland area that he had turned up.

He couldn't believe it… he was free!

_*Later*_

Sirius had been running for the last hour or so… but he knew that his body wasn't going to keep up for much longer. All he wanted now was somewhere safe, to lie down and recover its strength—maybe some food for his shrunken stomach.

He had left the wasteland, and crossed over small farmland into crowded streets that faced the sea. Not paying even the slightest bit of attention to those around him, he walked through the crowds and into the alleyways where he could find some peace and quiet.

He found a few giant trashcans in one alley where it would be the perfect place to hide and rest for a minute. He ran to the other side and ducked down as he turned back into a human. His fur shrank back as his hair began to grow, his snout retracted back to be replaced by a face, and his hug paws turned into hands and feet once again.

Sirius was so weak that he just wanted to lie where he sat… to just lie there and rest for hours until he fell asleep and didn't have to worry anymore. His body was heavy with weariness and he was soaked to the skin as he curled up and tried to get warm. But he knew that he couldn't stay here for much longer… the Dementors would surely be on their way, and he couldn't afford to fall asleep here.

So it was with reluctance did he sit up and leaned against the wall, getting ready to transform again. His bones ached and his muscles screamed in protest, from not using them for so long and then overworking them in the sea.

He put a hand inside his drenched, tattered grey robes… yes; the newspaper clipping was still there—soggy and crumpled, but still in one piece. Sirius's eyes flew to the rat on the boy's shoulder and a new fire began to burn inside him. Sirius had been fighting so hard for his life in the sea that the thought of killing the rat had been temporarily pushed aside. But now that feeling of vengeance was back and it seemed to give him some strength.

He folded up the paper and stuck it back in his robes. He knew that his destination would be Hogwarts—which meant that he had to head up north. Wormtail would be in just a few months… to where Harry was now going.

Harry was at Hogwarts, the last time that he had seen the boy was on that nightmarish Halloween night. The bouncing baby boy that he would babysit and play hide-and-seek with would be a teenager.

He wondered what he was doing now.

A few minutes later, he turned into the bear-like dog before he left the alley and headed back into the streets, scavenging any food he could find from the bins on the way.

_*A few days later*_

The next couple days of travelling through towns and countryside's, sleeping under open skies, and stealing food whenever he could was like a dream come true for Sirius. He relished the open air, the taste of freedom, and he took pleasure in the feeling of strength returning to his body. He hadn't returned to his human form since the day that he hid in that alley. But he felt his body coming back to life as his the long-unused muscles got stronger and his dull, matted fur was starting to develop a slight shine.

He was nearing his destination… Remus's old house.

_*Flashback*_

_Sirius continued to run through the warm and crowded streets. All of his memories came flooding back to him in a giant whirlwind of burring words and feelings. The Dementors had sucked his memories until there wasn't anything left that were worth living for, but now he was finally free. It was the best and saddest feeling in the world. All of his wonderful and happy memories were back, along with a deep sense of lost and grief. _

_Sirius tried hard not to remember any of the bad reminiscences… he concentrated only on the good ones. The ones full of laughter and happiness and held onto them like a lifeline to his sanity… the one at his foremost thought was of Harry._

_Harry… He wondered who Harry looked like now… after all these years. Did he resemble Lily or James now that he was in his teens? He definitely had his father's messy black hair but his mother's eyes and smile._

_He knew that he was taking a big risk, but he couldn't stop himself. He needed to see his godson at least once before he went north. But… how was he supposed to find him? After all he had no idea where Harry was now. Sirius swallowed as he sat onto his hind legs and thought._

_And then it came to him._

_Remus! Remus must've been the one to take him in__! He adored Harry as much as Sirius did…_

_But as soon as he thought of his old friend, it caused a terrible hurting in his already fractured heart. He knew that seeing them both would hurt… but the idea of seeing how they're doing were sure to give him the strength for the long journey before him. _

_But if he was found then he would've found been chucked back into prison faster than blinking. But he suddenly realized that he didn't care. He was going to Remus's house, just to get a glimpse of the two of them. _

_And without another thought, he turned around and headed to the very outskirts of London._

_*End of Flashback*_

The last time he saw Remus was when he was living in a small house in on the border of the London streets. He knew better than to hope that he would still be there… after all it was twelve years ago. But he decided to take a risk.

He reached the dingy, little house at about midnight. It looked the same as ever: with the paint peeling, crooked chimney, the roof looking like it was starting to fall apart… the only thing different were that the curtains were open. Remus was never one to take to change very well… if he was still there.

Sirius looked up into the sky and saw that the moon was only half-full… yes, the full moon wasn't for awhile. Sirius stared hungrily at the house, waiting for someone to make an appearance. Was Harry and Remus still here? He knew that it would've been difficult for a werewolf to raise… wait a minute!

What the hell had he been thinking? He wanted to see his friend and godson so badly that he didn't think straight. Sirius realized sullenly that Remus never have been allowed to take care of a child—especially if it was the child who defeated Voldemort.

And because of Remus's _'furry little problem'_ Remus always considered himself a monster… he would never have taken Harry because he would feel like he would always be putting the boy in danger.

But then… where _was_ Harry? Sirius suddenly felt his spirits break as he fell onto the pavement and tried hard not to feel disappointment. He screwed up his memory trying to remember Godric's Hollow and seeing the house. Trying hard not to remember seeing his dearest friend's bodies… he thought of what happened to Harry. He knew that Hagrid had the little baby and was taking him away.

Sirius could only remember flashes of that night. The Dementors had forced him to relive his worst memories… including Harry being taken away from him on his own motorcycle. But for some reason he was just drawing a blank to where Hagrid was taking him. He strained himself when Hagrid was holding the tiny bundle of blankets in his great arms. He remembered begging Hagrid to give him little Harry…

"_Please. Give Harry to me, Hagrid. I'm his godfather. I'll look after him."_ He remembered those words he spoke… and he knew that Hagrid refused. Something about Dumbledore's orders…

What were Dumbledore's orders? Why couldn't he remember? He knew that Hagrid came out and told him where he was taking Harry… but where?

He knew that Remus knew where Harry was… but there was no way that he could ask him without the werewolf trying to kill him. Remus would have been told that he had betrayed the Potters and then murdered Wormtail and all those Muggles at the same time. Damn it… how could this have happened?

He banged his head against a stone wall, trying hard to remember… if worse comes to shove… he would have to go to Hogwarts—and see if he could get a glimpse of Harry there.

But he wanted a quick look at his only remaining friend. That should help give him some strength to keep going. Sirius crept in the shadow of a neighboring house, and waited. He had been expecting to have to wait until morning to get a glance.

But old Moony appeared just an hour later, in front of the curtains, about to close them. Sirius's eyes lit up and he felt his heart begin to swell. It _was_ Remus. For the first time in twelve years he was seeing his friend.

He was sorry to see Moony looking far older than he could remember—he looked as if he had aged another twenty years. Moony even had a few streaks of grey hair, and his face was faintly lined making him look older than he was. But still… it felt so good to see him again after all this time.

He watched him for as long as he dared, drinking in everything about him, until at last Remus closed the curtains and turned out the light.

He couldn't stay here. He was pretty sure the Dementors would not be looking for him in a small London suburb, of all places, and only Remus and Wormtail knew what he looked liked in his Animagus form. But he didn't want to risk Remus leaving the house suddenly and spotting him.

And he was still no further north than he had been when he started.

So Sirius turned away with reluctant acceptance. He would have to concentrate on the reason he broke out in the first place. Find the rat, kill him… and then…

He didn't know what then but he would worry about that later.

But if only he could find out where Harry was living… just one quick look of him, was that too much to ask for? Why couldn't he remember where Hagrid was taking him? What did his old gamekeeper say?

He shut his eyes. Remembering was like an echo in the back of his mind.

_"Sirius? Sirius Black? Is that you? Yeh… yeh're here. I'm so sorry."_

_"Oh God. Hagrid, that's Harry isn't it? He's gone, isn't he? He's dead, right? And James and Lily are dead too aren't they?"_

_"Sirius, listen to me…"_

_"WHAT?" _

_"I'm sorry, Sirius, but James an' Lily're gone. Died fightin', Yeh-Know-Who. Died protectin' little Harry here. But Harry isn't dead, though. Yeh-Know-Who tried to kill 'im, but… but couldn'. He's g't a scar across his forehead, but tha's all. Yeh-Know-Who's disappeared."_

_"Voldemort's g-gone? And Harry's still alive?"_

_"He's just fine, Sirius."_

Hearing that Harry was still alive was the only thing that kept him from ending it all… he still had someone to protect.

_"Please," Sirius croaked out. "Give Harry to me, Hagrid. I'm his godfather. I'll look after him."_

_"Can' do tha' Sirius, I'm sorry," said Hagrid laying a hand on the black-haired man's shoulder. "Dumbledore's orders. I'm ter take Harry ter 'is aunt an' uncle."_

Aunt and uncle… Sirius's eyes snapped open.

Lily had a sister who lived at a street called Privet Drive. Yes, her older sister… Petunia, who was already married with a son of her own.

Little Whinging, Privet Drive! That had to be here he was! Filled up with newfound hope, he went running off into the night.


	8. Hungry Hounds

_**Chapter 8: Hungry Hounds**_

He was going to see Harry and nothing was going to stop him. He didn't know how, but he just knew that in some unfathomable way, he knew that seeing his godson would not only give him a new resolve, but it would also help him lend him strength for the journey again.

Sirius put his head between his paws, which were sore and tired, and emitted a soft, almost inaudible whine. He'd been on the run for little over a week now, how long has it been since he'd eaten? Must have been that old hotdog he found in the gutter yesterday, he needed to find food soon or he wouldn't be able to keep this up.

But nothing was going to stop him. He was going to go and see his godson.

It wouldn't be long till he found Privet Drive now.

_*One hour later*_

He finally found Privet Drive… and it was a boring neighborhood.

Every house looked same except for the numbers stamped across the mailboxes. Every single yard was perfectly kept, the bushes were all even and straight and each flowerbed held the dullest flowers.

'_This is it?'_though Sirius to himself as he turned down a dark alleyway. '_This has got to be the most boring area in the world.'_

But Sirius still didn't know where Harry lived exactly, and he only realized this after he arrived. He began to grow impatient; he had to find him soon… if only he had some kind of clue to go by.

The minutes turned into hours, and the hours turned into two long days of fruitless searching and Sirius growing increasingly desperate. He ran up and down the streets, past rows upon rows of neat, tidy square houses, through the alleyways and still he found nothing.

He was running very short on time, and he knew that he should've started his journey up north to Hogwarts the moment that he reached the mainland. He could never forgive himself if he arrived at Hogwarts too late, and Wormtail had done something to Harry. If he let that happen then he would be responsible for the death of his best friend's son and his own godson. He would never be able to live with himself if he let that happen.

But still he had a desperate desire see Harry for the first time in twelve years, and Sirius wasn't going to leave until he got a quick glimpse. He was wandering, searching, looking into the windows of more houses than he wanted to see. He wanted just some reassurance that he was ok. If the Dementors didn't drive him insane in Azkaban, the he was quickly losing his mind now.

And finally on the night of his second day, he found him.

It must've been nearing midnight and Sirius was pacing swiftly down a long curved alleyway when someone appeared. Somebody was hurrying up the road towards him—he couldn't see them—but he knew that somebody was coming his way.

Sirius' dog ears pricked up at the sound and he hastily ducked out of sight. He had developed the habit of hiding when anyone appeared. But there was something different about this person with the light footsteps… they were light, yet hasty, and from the sound of it they were dragging something extremely heavy. Sirius wished they would hurry up and go past, so that he could resume his search.

The person came into his line of sight, and Sirius watched them idly from the corner of his eyes. He wasn't really expecting to see him to appear like this, as it was so late.

A child—maybe a teenager—was dragging a large trunk with him, but it was too dark to see him properly. But then Sirius froze as he stared, and his grey eyes started to burn…

Even in the dark, he could see that the boy looked like James… which meant that it had to be…

It took everything he had not to jump out at his godson in pure joy. He could see him much better now; a boy with black hair, just like James, and his face, his expression… Sirius's mind was reeling from the shock of the resemblance. He stared at Harry's face hungrily, devouring every detail of his appearance, and even risked taking a few steps forward for a closer look.

But once his shock had worn off, he began to worry… why was Harry wandering the streets by himself at night, dragging a school trunk, and an empty owl cage? He squinted his eyes and saw that Harry's cheeks were flushed and he looked angry—maybe even a little afraid?

Sirius watched, his large, padded feet barely making any noise against the gravel, but Harry still heard him. Harry, who was digging in his trunk, looking for something, stood up and looked around. Sirius stayed still as a statue until Harry went back to looking through his trunk. He let out a silent sigh before trying to take a small step backwards.

But he really shouldn't have moved because it caught Harry's attention again. The boy stood up with a wand raised like a sword. Harry turned his attention to the alley where he was hiding, and though he knew that Harry couldn't see him, he was staring straight into Sirius's eyes.

It was bittersweet to finally see the boy he'd loved as his own for the first time in twelve years. And it was also a little disturbing to see that Harry looked exactly like his dead best friend and acting so nervous and scared.

He tried to back further into the alley, but Harry's eyes held him where he was. The boy was thin, and looked very young for a thirteen year old boy… and Merlin, he looked so much like James with that wild messy hair that he knew would never lie flat and round glasses.

Except for the eyes… Lily's eyes…

He had finally found his godson.

He was so close to transforming and making himself known… but he stopped himself. He thought that this would kill him—he wanted so badly to come out and apologize, to beg for his forgiveness for going after Peter instead of taking Harry with him. For failing to protect and take care of him like he promised he would.

But just seeing that he was alive and well was all that he wanted. Just seeing how much he'd grown from the happy little baby that he used to take for rides on his motorcycle or play hide-n-seek… Just seeing him like this—he didn't know what to do… all he knew was that he never wanted to lose him. He was the son that he never had the joy to have.

He felt his heart growing inside his chest; realizing that he no longer had a pointless existence. He had something to live for, something to protect and care for… he had _someone worth fighting for. _Harry brought meaning to his lonely life.

Harry held up his wand as the tip ignited.

He looked directly into his godson's face.

Sirius froze as Harry's eyes widened at the side of him. For a split second, Harry and Sirius looked right into each other's eyes, and Sirius' heart began to ache at the sight of his face… James face… for one brief moment he was convinced that it was James and his best friend was about to throw his head back and laugh just like he always did when he saw him… but then he came back to reality as Harry—not James—let out a small cry and stumbled backwards, tripping over his trunk and throwing out both arms to break his fall.

There was a flash, a screech sound, and Sirius reared backward with a soft yelp of surprise as a gigantic purple bus appeared seemingly out of nowhere. No, Harry was right in its path! He was about to run out and get him, but at that second, Harry rolled and missed the bus by just a hair.

Relief… warm and wonderful relief flooded his system when he saw Harry get out of the way. He couldn't stand the thought of him losing Harry just when he finally found him. He looked back at the bus to see what the heck the driver was thinking of…

Wait… it was the Knight Bus—he knew it anywhere even though he only used it once before when he ran away from home. Its young conductor leapt off of the bus and began shouting loudly into the night. That brought Sirius back to his senses. Aside from a bleeding knee, he could see that Harry wasn't hurt as he quickly glanced over his godson, checking for any injuries, in the light of the headlights.

Once that was over he turned away, he couldn't stay any longer.

Sirius gave the boy one last look of longing, before he turned tail and rapidly fled the scene.

He ran away, knowing that the Night Bus would take care of Harry for him. Once he felt that it was safe to look back, he turned to see the Night Bus disappearing with its new passenger. His only reason for living was once again taken away from him, not knowing how close he'd been to the nearest thing he'd ever have to a father.

**(Sorry for taking so long. I've been busy trying to finish my other stories. I hope that the next chapter won't be as hard as this one.)**


	9. A Promise to the Dead

_**Chapter 9: A Promise to the Dead**_

As Sirius slipped back into the shelter of the night he glanced behind him where he had gotten that small glimpse of Harry just a little earlier. He knew now that it was time to start his journey to Hogwarts… to kill Peter.

Like he hoped, just seeing Harry gave him the strength and resolve that he needed. He felt energized and was able to run easily through the darkened streets with the speed of a much younger dog.

But he knew that he still had to be careful. The year was still young, and Peter wouldn't be at school just yet. He had plenty of time to start his journey north… but he couldn't afford to waste what little health he was able to get back.

But he will make it to Hogwarts, there was no doubt about that. He knew what he was going to do. He had it all planned out for the last several days. First of all, he had to make it to King's Cross Station… once he got there, all he would have to do is follow the train tracks and they will lead him all the way to Hogwarts.

It took hours by train to get there, and he knew that it was going to take a couple weeks, if not months, to get there by foot. But he would make it there. He always found a way. But before he started off to the station… there was still one place left for him to go before he could feel ready to start his journey. He had to go to that place just once more before he left to get his sweet revenge.

In his dog form, he crept out of the suburban area and once again traveled through the rural community. Time felt like it stood still for him as he headed off to this one last destination. He was going to find Godric's Hallow and visit the graves of his brother and sister… to apologize for failing them so badly.

_*A couple weeks later*_

The first few falling leaves in the wind were swirling around him as he transformed in front of a large marble tombstone. He sat there, in his human form in front of the grave, that looked so cold in the late August weather. The two names carved into the white marble looked even colder but still slightly warm at the same time.

To see these names once again brought to him the sense of grief that felt as though it was slowly destroying him from the inside out.

**JAMES POTTER LILY POTTER**

**BORN 27 MARCH 1960 BORN 30 JANUARY 1960**

**DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981 DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981**

**The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.**

Sirius closed his eyes, not wanting to leave just yet—but unable to look at those names any longer. It was as if all time had stopped right then and there. That he was now trapped forever in this endless nightmare that he was unable to wake up from. He felt all hollow inside now.

His shoulders shook as misery cornered him and he wept harder than he ever did in Azkaban. He escaped to kill Peter and to get the payback that he had been waiting for since that day. His revenge, his revenge for his friends, for his family.

But he knew that he also had to be careful. He was at large, an escape convict on the run from both the Muggle and Wizard worlds. And at the moment, he was sitting in the middle of a cemetery, in plain sight. If the Aurors found him or even the Muggle police, then he would be in real trouble; he would've failed before he even had the chance to start.

He knew the consequences of visiting James and Lily's grave out in the open like this, but at that moment he didn't care… he didn't really care about anything anymore.

Something inside of him had broken twelve years ago and after being in Azkaban it had been impossible for him to heal. He wanted to wake up just once without dreaming of Lily and James' dead faces staring back at him like lifeless dolls. Or dream of how betrayed Remus must've looked when he had been told that he lost all his friends in one night.

There were plenty of times when he just thought of giving up, just stop eating and die in his sleep. But just to see Harry and Remus again, to even think about seeing them left a spark of hope from the shards of his broken life.

That's right… Harry, his little godson. He swore to protect Lily and James, now he must protect Harry, he didn't want to fail him again.

Of course, Harry probably found out who and what he was by now. Sirius Black the infamous prisoner of Azkaban, killer of twelve Muggles a wizard and the betrayer of his parents. Oh yes, Harry will be pleased to see him. Pleased enough to even kill him? If he inherited Lily's temper then most likely.

Stupid Peter really made a mess of everything to say the least.

Stupid… he was so stupid…

How could he have ever suggested Peter for such an important role as Secret Keeper? How could he have ever trusted him over Remus? That werewolf couldn't bring himself to hurt a fly! What was he thinking? Was he drunk or something when he thought of this ridiculous plan?

A sharp pain shoots through his heart as though it was being torn in half. He knew it… he knew it for years… he was the one to blame. Because he was so stupid to trust that little rat, he lost everything that was important to him.

He put his head down as hot tears fell, "James…" he whispered, hoping that somehow his best friend could hear him even though he wasn't in this world anymore. "James… Lily… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry… it was my fault. I'm the one who put you all in danger… I know that. Please, just give me a little more time to set things right."

The wind had finally stopped blowing as the darkened sky grew even darker with the sounds of distance thunder rolling in. It was going to start raining soon, not that he was paying any attention.

"I said that I would keep you safe, but I couldn't. I couldn't James, Lily. I just stood back and let Voldemort take you away thanks to that lowlife piece of filth, Wormtail. And because of that, you both are gone and Harry never had the chance to speak with either of you. I left Harry, I left him alone when he needed me the most. He—I wasn't there for him when I promised I would."

A few drops of rain fell on his head; before it was then followed by a few more—until it began to pour. It rain so hard and fast that it felt like hail… but Sirius didn't even look up, he was transfixed by the grave—desperate to finish telling his friends how sorry he was.

"I failed Prongs, I failed as Harry as his godfather, and I failed you as your friend. I promised I would take care of Harry if anything happened to you or Lily. But I couldn't even do that right." Sirius said pounding his fist quietly against the ground next to the grave, emphasizing his words with each strike.

"But I promise that I'm going to set things right! I know what happened was my fault… I'm not denying it, and I am sorry. I promise you both… I promise that I'll find Harry and keep him safe from here on out! And I promise that I'm going to get that rat—for all of us. I'll finish what I started. If I somehow get out of this, I'll explain everything to Harry and Remus. But if nothing I do is good enough to you both, then I'll take any punishment that you want to dish out when I die."

He then broke down completely and sobbed his heart out on the already soaked tombstone; his filthy robes covered in mud and drenched with water. But he continued to cry and let the tears fall, making him even wetter.

He didn't how long he sat there; it must've been an hour at the very least. But at long last, he heard the sounds of a car door slamming from somewhere not too far away and it brought him out of his stupor of misery.

He couldn't stay. If he was here any longer, then he would really be risking his freedom. So with a heavy heart, he stood up and took one last look at Lily and James's names, still etched in stone. "I'll keep going," he promised them as he turned around. "No matter what, I will keep going until I find a way to set things straight."

He transformed and hit the ground running. He wanted to get as far away as he could from that cemetery, and the reminder of his mistakes.

He ran through the kissing gate and out of the village as fast as his four legs could carry him. Sirius felt so much sorrow and grief that he associated it with the Dementors. In fact, he was a little surprised that those soul-sucking demons weren't swooping down on him at any second.

It didn't matter if he was in Azkaban. Anything happy had been taken from him the day the Potters died. He had lost everything even before he was forced to enter the wizard prison.

Crouch could have just had locked him away in a dark cell to cower from his fears in a corner; there was no real need for a Dementor. The dead faces of his friends would have probably haunted him for the rest of his life without their help.

But one little ray of light remained in this sea of dark and cold…

He promised to watch over Harry and make sure he was safe. It didn't matter to him if Harry knew who he was or not, just as long as the boy was safe and far away from Peter. He had a purpose to live again. He wanted to see Remus again and Harry. It was more than a reason to live, it was his duty.

It was his duty as a godfather and friend. For the first time in years, Sirius smiled to himself as images of his friends appeared in his mind. He had to see this through to the end.

He finally remembered who he was. He was Padfoot; Harry's godfather, member of the Marauders, a loving friend, and Sirius Black… the innocent escapee of Azkaban.


	10. Chasing Trains

_**Chapter 10: Chasing Trains**_

Sirius had been traveling north for the last couple of weeks, stopping only for food and water. He slept in alleyways and inside old, abandoned buildings, feeling a sense of relief for the rest. It didn't matter if he slept on cold and hard stone; it was a warm and feather-soft bed compared to the years of cold nightmares that he had grown accustomed to. His more sensible state of mind told him he should travel by night and rest by day, but for now, his exhausted body begged for recovery.

For weeks Sirius continued north, growing stronger each day in the fresh air and sunshine. Once or twice a Muggle would take pity on the starved, shaggy mongrel and give him a few bits of food to eat, but most of the time he was either not seen or was simply avoided by Muggles.

After traveling through farmlands, cities, and small suburban neighborhoods, Sirius Black finally found his way to Kings Cross Station early morning on September 1. He looked up at the familiar sign of the train station and a boatload of memories came flooding back to him. This was it. The place where he first met James.

He sat all alone in the train compartment, ecstatic that he was finally leaving home and getting away from his so-called family.

_*Flashback*_

_He had been sitting in an empty compartment and was looking out the window, feelings of joy and fear flooding through his body as he watched as they all left the station and he heard the door open. He turned to see a scrawny boy around his age, coming in. "Is there anyone else sitting here?" he asked. _

_Sirius shook his head and the boy came in. "Name's James. James Potter," he said cheerfully and held out his hand. Sirius couldn't help but grin too as he reached over and shook it. "Sirius," he told him. "Just call me Sirius."_

_At that moment a pretty girl with long red hair came in, tears beginning to form in her eyes; not that either boy noticed at first. They were so busy talking that they barely paid her any attention, at least until a boy with oily hair came in looking for her. He walked over and sat across from her before she gave him one look and then looked back out the window._

_Sirius was having so much fun with James that they didn't even listen in on their conversation until he heard the other boy say with excitement, "But we're going! This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!"_

_They both looked at them just as the boy said, "You'd better be in Slytherin."_

_"__Slytherin?" James called out with a hint of laughter as if he couldn't imagine anyone wanting such a ridiculous request. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" _

_The smile had been wiped of Sirius's face and he said with his head down, "__My whole family have been in Slytherin." He could only imagine what they would say if he was in another House._

_"__Blimey," said James looking at him in surprise, "and I thought you seemed all right!"_

_Sirius grinned, immediately liking this kid._

_"Maybe I'll break the tradition," that was his biggest ambition after all. Who wants to follow what the rest of your family has to say? "Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"_

_James lifted his arm up as if holding a sword and called out dramatically, "'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad."_

_The other boy let out a snort and James quickly rounded on him, "Got a problem with that?"_

_"No," said the boy with a sneer, "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy – "_

_Sirius immediately hated this guy and barked, "Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" _

_James roared with laughter as the girl stood up, looking red and looked at them with strong dislike before saying to the boy, "Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."_

_"Oooooo…" They both imitated as James tried to trip Severus on the way out._

_"See ya, Snivellus!" he yelled as the door shut. The girl gave them both a disgusted look before she and Snivellus both left. James laughed as he turned to face him. "You know?" he asked him. "I think this could be the start of a beautiful partnership." _

_*End of Flashback*_

Sirius smiled in his dog form at the old memories. James had been right of course, it was the start of a beautiful and wonderful friendship. If only those days didn't have to end.

He came out from the alley, looking around cautiously, and the crept across the street and into the station. It was so packed with people that he was having a hard time getting through to the platforms between nine and ten.

But thankfully, he was able to move so gracefully as Padfoot that he was able to eventfully find his way. He got many strange looks, but no one paid him any mind, most likely thinking that he was just a stray, or someone's pet coming to the station.

Let them think whatever they want. Sirius reached the barrier wall, and looked around one last time to make sure that no one was looking before he went charging through. And suddenly he was on Platform Nine and ¾ as if he had done it a million types before. The scarlet engine was sitting there, looking exactly like the last time he saw it over a decade ago.

Sirius felt tears forming in his eyes, longing to jump on board, meet up with his friends, and to head back to the school. But he felt the need to smash his head against the wall to come back to the present.

He had to get on the train. All he had to do was hide in the back in the luggage compartment, and then he would arrive at Hogwarts in no…

Oh, no… someone was coming behind him…

He looked around him and spotted a pillar in the corner of the station—the perfect place to hide in. He quickly dove behind it and cautiously looked out to see who it was. He felt his jaw drop. There was no way—it just couldn't be.

A man had just come through the barrier behind him, and if he had been looking up, he would've seen the giant dog standing there. But he was trying to fasten the lock on his briefcase which gave Sirius just enough time to hide. But as he looked, he knew that it was the same man he had seen weeks ago when he broke out of prison.

Remus Lupin… Moony…

Half joy, half grief was flooding his whole body. He wanted to transform and talk to him, let him know what happened to him all those years ago. To tell him that it was Peter who betrayed them all. But he was smart enough to stay where he was. As soon as Remus saw him, he would be dead. He might not have looked it, but out of all of them, Remus was one of the Marauders best duelists… second only to James of course.

And Sirius didn't even have a wand on him… oh, he didn't stand a chance, even with Remus in his weakened state. He gritted his teeth and watched painfully as his last old friend walked to the train, carrying his battered case with peeling letters. Sirius risked a better look by sticking his head out from behind the pillar… _Professor R. J. Lupin._

Professor? Remus was a teacher? When did that happen? Oh, those lucky kids! Remus was the perfect example of a good teacher, patient, kind, and loved kids… in fact, he was the one helping Peter and other students get through their exams.

He wished that he let Wormtail fail.

But that didn't answer the question to why he was here and… oh, right. He was supposed to be a mad killer… he forgot about that. Remus must've been asked to travel with the students to watch out for him. Damn, looks like there was no chance of him sneaking on board now. Didn't matter… he would just follow the tracks after everyone else had left. Sure that would take ages longer, but it was the only opinion he had left. The only people who knew that he was an Animagus were going to be on that train.

Just his luck.

He watched Remus's every move like a hawk as he slowly climbed on board the train. He looked so pale and weak… right, there was a full moon the day before yesterday. He staggered slightly on his own footing and leaned against the train door to take several breaths as though every move was painful for him.

Sirius backed further into his shadowy corner, and waited. He better get comfy… he knew that he would be there for a few hours as Ministry workers were sure to come. But there was no chance he could leave now—not after coming this far.

And so he waited…

Hours later, people started streaming onto the platform as he hid in the shadows, watching all the happy families coming with their children, and Sirius felt a pang of his heart. Wizards and Muggles mingled together while hundreds of students—of all ages—were smiling and looking excited, even the little first-years who were scared stiff. He watched them all, feeling jealous of all these families; and dreaming of that glorious castle.

And then saw a flash of black hair out of the corner of his eyes.

He turned his head, and he felt his jaw drop in astonishment once again. Just coming through the barrier was a boy with black hair and green eyes.

He looked up immediately, his heart actually skipping a beat. James?

No, it couldn't be James. How many times did he have to tell himself that?

But he wasn't as depressed as he usually was when he thought of his dead best friend. There was only one person it could be… Harry.

He felt as though something had squeezed his heart tightly. This was the first time he'd seen him since that night back in Surrey. He couldn't really make his face out so well in the darkness back then, but here in this bright morning light it was easy.

A teenage boy that looked just like James… but his eyes were identical to his mothers. He was once again faced with the temptation of running out to greet him. But he had to force himself to stay back—Remus was around—along with half the Ministry that were sure to be on the look-out for him.

But he still had to dig his claws into the floor so hard that he made deep gashing into the cement. Sirius longed to reach out to him, to hold him in a loving embrace. Instead, he had to settle for the closest thing he could to doing that and watch him.

He never once took his eyes off Harry; following his movements even more so than he did with Remus—as if afraid that if he blinked, the boy would disappear. Harry stopped not too far away from him, oh, this was torture! He was only ten feet away at least! So close that he could reach out and touch him as he stood next to the man with red hair… wait, red hair?

Walking right beside his godson was the man that he had seen in the Daily Prophet… Arthur Weasley! It had to be him! The same receding hair, lopsided glasses, and kind face… he long since memorized that picture, it was him! Oh, this was bad!

The father of the boy who was keeping Peter as a pet was with Harry? Oh, this couldn't be good. He watched with baited breath, hoping that he was wrong…

But then more red-headed Weasleys came through behind them. Most of the family that was in that photograph: the tall boy with a Head Boy badge pinned to his chest and wearing a pompous looking expression, twin boys that looked so identical that it was like you were seeing double, a plump woman with a motherly face—who could only be Mrs. Weasley, a pretty young girl who was talking to her mother as she passed out sandwiches, and… NO!

At last, the tall boy with freckles who had Peter on his shoulder while they were in Egypt—closely followed by a girl with brown bushy hair had just come through the wall and were talking to Harry. He watched their laughing faces and he knew that they just had to be friends.

'_Oh, this is just perfect,'_ he thought sarcastically. So not only was Peter hiding out and living a comfortable life as a pet rat, but his owner was one of Harry's friends? Anger was boiling inside him… a longing to attack that rat was so strong that he had to sink his fangs into his leg to stop himself from charging out.

No, he couldn't attack! Not now! No matter how close Peter was, if he attacked now then he would be caught and sent back to Azkaban for sure and Peter would get away again! Besides, he couldn't even see the little rat… what could he do? Now that he knew this, it just increased the desperation of the problem. Harry was in even more danger than he first thought. The poor kid… the one responsible for his parent's deaths was probably sharing a dorm room with him for years!

Fury that he never felt before to such a degree was eating him inside out. He focused instead on Harry's face, trying to calm down.

It was then he saw that the boy's thin face didn't look exactly like James had been. James had been bright, and fully of laughter and jokes. The air of someone who had come from a happy and even pampered home life.

But Harry's face was much sadder, much quieter… almost as if he had spent years living in misery and was only now starting to recover.

Concerned, Sirius took a step forward, and wondered what was going on when Arthur Weasley pulled his little boy aside. He watched as the older man talked every quietly to him, looking very pale and anxious. Sirius wished he could hear what they were talking about, but with all these voices mingling together, it would be impossible to do so even with his canine hearing. But now sooner had he thought that, a voice called out above all the others and it had come from Mrs. Weasley. "Arthur! Arthur, what are you doing? It's about to go!"

"He's coming, Molly!" he called back, but he was now talking quickly and urgently to Harry who was looking more confused by the second. The train started to move…

"Arthur, quickly!" Steam was billowing from the train and it had started to move. Harry ran to the compartment door and Peter's owner threw it open and stood back to let him on.

Harry, the girl, and all the other Weasley children hung out of the train and waved goodbye to them and he watched as his godson disappeared from his sight.

He lay down and tried to block out the pain that was filling his heart as if Dementors were nearby. It should've been James and Lily to be here and watched Harry leave. It should've been the boy's parents and possibly even a few brothers and sisters there to watch him go.

But he had to be an idiot and do something so stupid as to suggest Peter… he would never forgive himself for that.

He watched until the train was long out of his sights and the families all started to leave. He stayed where he was hidden until every single parent, friend, and child had turned and left through the barrier.

He waited a few extra minutes to make sure that he was completely alone before he finally crawled out and into the open again. He walked to the side of the train tracks and looked in the direction of where the train left. Looks like he's going to have to walk the rest of the way.

With a sigh, he jumped down onto the tracks and began to walk along them knowing that this was going to be one long journey. But it comforted him to know that Harry would be safe, at least for the moment. He would be at Hogwarts in just a few hours and surrounded by magical walls and teachers who would protect him.

Of course, there was no way that they could protect him from the rat inside the walls. How can you expect someone to protect your only reason for living now from someone who is supposed to be dead? He walked just a little bit faster, hoping that he was just being paranoid and focused on the real problem now. He had to get to Hogwarts—one way or another. It wasn't until about ten minutes later did he realized that all dogs may chase cars… but only one would be crazy enough to chase trains?

With a bark of laughter he began to run, feeling more alive than he had been in years. Next stop… Hogwarts…

**(Yeah! I'm finally done with this chapter. I know I've been neglecting this story, I'm sorry, but I've had a bad case of writer's block all week. Next chapter, Sirius finally makes it to Hogwarts! Hope you enjoyed it and the rest are soon to come. Thank you.)**


	11. Lonely Ghost

_**Chapter 11: Lonely Ghost**_

It was already the beginning of October and Sirius felt the weather starting to get cooler.

After a couple weeks, and several close shaves… one involving a middle-aged Muggle woman spotting him when he had transformed to try and get the fleas that had decided to hitch a ride off his body. But finally, after following the train tracks for endless days, his senses could finally start to pick up the tug of magic that he knew came from the castle.

And after all this time he was finally going to commit the crime that he was imprisoned for… because there wasn't anything left of the man he used to be. In his mind, he knew nothing but vengeance, and all he craved was getting retribution for everything that was taken away from him. One rat took his whole life away… he only had one thing left to fight for, and it fueled his will, gave him strength… and hope.

Sirius moved through the dark night, and with each step he took, he could feel that he was one step closer to completing his mission. He watched the moon above him with exhausted eyes, as his body ached—feeling as if it had been broken in a million shards.

He knew that his life was worthless. He didn't fear anything anymore except for failure for his final task. Reckless drive was sure to send him straight to his death… not that he cared. _'No matter what,' _he told himself, _'That rat won't touch Harry. I have to be the one to end this!'_

Harry Potter. The son of his best friend, and an orphan child because of him. For 12 years Sirius dreamt of his face… a mere baby, nothing more, but the guilt that came with it… it was unbearable. Sad memories of the past were all that was in his head, swirling around like a carousel of dark thoughts; blaming him for everything.

He'd given anything to be able to be with that little boy now.

Seeing Harry—now a teenager—made him hate Peter even more… He will find him and make him pay for all the sorrow he's put everybody through.

With renewed energy, he ran with a fiercer, stronger determination—running helped him to forget—to put him in the here and now. Feeling a strange sense of urgency, he sprinted along the tracks, hardly noticing the pain and need for air in his lungs while his thin legs and starved body felt like they were about to collapse.

Finally, he spotted something that looked startlingly familiar but he couldn't understand why. He paused for a moment and stared at it, waiting for the memory to come back to him, and finally recognizing the forest of dark-looking trees. It was the Forbidden Forest that belonged to Hogwarts and a part of the grounds.

He had done it. He was almost there! Now all he had to do was to find that traitor, Peter, who was without a doubt hiding in the safety of the castle.

Sirius slipped under the dark, black gathering of trees and looked around for a secure hiding place for him to rest. He sniffed around until he finally found a large tree with massive roots that grew large enough for him to hide under. Finally, after days of nonstop traveling, waves of sleep hovered over him as he fell asleep, relieved at last.

He didn't know how long he slept in the forest. He had been so tired from his journey that it felt like days… all he knew for sure was that when he finally woke up, it was still dark. But then again, the Forbidden Forest always was.

But when he looked above him, he discovered that there were a few rays of sunlight were trying to penetrate the massive canopy. His body, had almost recovered from his exhaustion, but was still very stiff. It made him realize that he hadn't had any food for awhile and he needed to keep his strength up if he was actually planning on pulling this off.

Just as he thought that, his belly began to roar with hunger. Without a second thought, he went off in search of whatever he could find to try and try to fill his empty stomach. But his spirits were up… he knew that he must've been on the Hogwarts grounds by now and he might get a chance to eat Peter in his Animagus form. Dreaming of revenge, he set off to explore the forest and to gather up any edible food that was available.

After he drank from a small pool of water, and had his fill from some rats he found scurrying across the forest floor, he finally laid down, wondering what to do. How was he to get to Peter? If the Weasley boy kept him as a pet, then the rat would most likely be in the Gryffindor common room. He couldn't just waltz into the castle… and his Padfoot form was never going to be able to get anywhere near without causing some panic.

But then again, nobody knew about his Animagus form except for Peter and Remus… oh, Remus was here too! He forgot about that. This was now making things more difficult for him. Did Remus tell anyone else about him being an Animagus? Were they on the lookout for a Grim-like dog as well? He wasn't sure…

_*Later*_

Sirius spent the rest of the day traveling in what he hoped was the right direction towards the castle. As he did, Sirius discovered someone else was traveling through the forest…

It was a cat.

But this cat, however, wasn't like any other creature he ever met. It seemed… it was almost as if it were an Animagus like him… he was certainly intelligent…

It had ginger hair and was unusually ugly with its flat face; almost as if it ran straight into a brick wall. The cat was a little too smart for its own good. Sirius could tell that the cat had known at once that he wasn't a real dog and had attempted to fight with him, which could've gotten ugly real quick.

After he had bared his teeth and glared at it, the cat had scampered off in a random direction, but not before it seemed to search him with its eyes. With its bottlebrush tail held arrogantly high, it had marched off into the darkness. Sirius growled angrily and irritably. That cat… that cat knew he wasn't a dog, and he didn't like it.

As the night suddenly came, Sirius had spotted it at long last. His black shape cast dark shadows in the moonlight as he crept around on the lawn, watching warily the signs of any other forms of life. Not meeting any challenges, he stared up at the castle… which looked more beautiful than he ever remembered as he craned his neck to see the tips of the towers.

It was so majestic. He didn't want to blink, afraid that if he did, it would disappear. It was large and seemed to glow with it's old bricks casting a reflection from the bright moon overhead onto him below. The dark outline of Hogwarts was dotted with hundreds of tiny windows, each glowing with bright light. For one brief moment, he forgot that he was an escaped convict and thought that he was still a student here himself. He turned his head behind him, expecting to see Prongs there with Moony—making sure that the werewolf was behaving himself…

At least until he saw that the only creature there was the cat.

Furious, he barked at the cat, and it went strutting off across the grounds with a superior look… as if he thought that Sirius was not worth his time.

Sirius shook his head and decided to explore the castle grounds a little more. He had been famous for sneaking around on the grounds when he was a student, and he didn't think it would hurt to test his skills and see if he still had it. He prowled the grounds like he used to—moving as swift as the shadows that covered the castle, and was even able to remember some of his favorite hiding places that he discovered not long after he became Animagi.

'_Old man's still got it,'_ he thought proudly as he successfully dashed underneath a large patch of light so quickly that you couldn't even see him.

The night grew cold surprisingly quick after that and Sirius sprinted back to his safe shelter on the edge of the forest. That is until he heard voices coming from the direction of the Quidditch pitch which caused his ears perked up. Unable to help himself, he decided to go over and get a closer look at what was happening… he hadn't seen a Quidditch game in years… oh, seeing flying again… he could not help himself.

He went towards the sounds of laugher and yelling that had to be training sessions for one of the Houses. He hid underneath the bleachers as he crept along… trying to see from one of the lower levels… to see, with a thrill of delight, seven figures dressed in scarlet robes, training in the air. It was the Gryffindor team and Sirius felt a renewed elation as old memories came back to him of James and his childhood at Hogwarts.

He thought happily of those memories for a few seconds until he blinked in astonishment when he realized that it wasn't his memories that he seeing… but James in midair, out flying with the rest of the team. Overcome with joy, he was about to transform and run out onto the field until a tall boy called out, "Harry? I'm letting the Snitch out now! Get ready!"

_Harry…?_

Sirius blinked and accidently banged his head on the seats above him. Cursing in his mind, he looked back up at the boy… Harry. He had a bunch of mixed feelings… it wasn't James—but it still was his godson! Sirius stared at him, when he suddenly turned in midair and easily looped around the others and raced along the two Beaters. He gasped in surprise when he recognized who they were. It was the pair of twin boys he saw in the photo from the Prophet, and back at the train station! Two of the Weasleys! But he didn't pay too much attention to them as he went back to watching Harry like a hawk. He watched with feelings of sadness, and yet joy as he watched the three boys race each other, the twins swatting away at the bludger they had released and Harry flew around for a minute before he had gone into a spectacular dive to catch the Snitch.

Harry was just a red and gold blur flying around the Quidditch pitch, he _did_ fly like James. He was clearly a natural at flying. Sirius was transfixed on his godson; he watched him intensely, trying not to confuse him with his teammates. Every time he dodged a bludger or made a particularly steep dive, Sirius smiled at the memories of the little baby that used to fly on that toy broomstick that he got him for his birthday. He laughed internally and thought, '_He's the Quidditch star James always wanted him to be…'_

He watched them all train for at least another hour until the oldest looking boy… who could only be their Captain, called it quits. The rest of the team all landed lightly and walked back towards the changing rooms and out of his sight.

Sirius sighed miserably, knowing that there was no reason to stay any longer, he went back to the forest reluctantly. Weary from the day's events, he huddled down in a patch of thick leaves and closed his eyes with a great sense of relief.

_*Halloween*_

He was going to do it tonight. He was going to try and get into Hogwarts tonight. It was Halloween night and Sirius had spent the last few days planning his attempt inside the castle; only leaving the safety of the forest to see the Gryffindors training sessions. He went there every night, hoping that they were there so that he could watch Harry play. As he watched with feelings of pride and joy at Harry's skill, he tried hard not to think of those feelings of regret and guilt that James couldn't be there to watch him play.

No, not tonight. He couldn't think about all that tonight. He needed to focus if he was going to pull this off.

There was no better time to try… it was the perfect time… Halloween. No one in their right mind would've taken a pet rat to the Halloween Feast. And it was the same night that James and Lily were killed… the night that he lost everything exactly twelve years ago. If he was going to do it, it was going to be now… and if everything went to plan, Peter would be dead in a matter of hours…

Alright… time to go to work.

The trail inside Hogwarts was a familiar one at least. He couldn't remember how many times they took it on their midnight prowls. Another thing he tried to do these days was to _not_ think of the good old days—back when they could all trust each other. R_eally_ trust each other. Hell, they were the ones to help Moony when he needed it the most. Like they could really just let one of their best friends go though those painful transformations alone?

His friends… his partners in crime… through thick and thin, they were there for each other. Now… he had no one. Thanks to that slimy, double-crossing, worthless rat. Well, he was about to change all that.

But how could anyone think that he would ever betray his family? How could they think that Sirius Black would have ever betrayed the man that made him Best Man at his wedding? And then later announced him as godfather when they discovered that Lily was pregnant with Harry?

He was so ecstatic when they asked him to be godfather, though he couldn't lie that he was afraid at the same time. But what else could he say but yes to an honor like that? And when he held that little baby boy for the first time that day in Godric's Hallow… the little baby that he would to go to see and play with every single day…

That small family meant the world to him. He would rather've died if it meant keeping them safe.

But he couldn't think about the past any longer at the moment… he was wasting moonlight. Time to prowl the grounds once again…

And so, he crept into Hogsmeade, using the fact that everyone else was celebrating Halloween, to his advance. He carefully waited outside Honeydukes until someone came out. He took his chance and dashed in before the door closed behind a wizard, carrying so many sweets that he didn't notice the large dog that snuck in.

Sirius kept as low as he possibly could as he hid behind the counter and quietly snuck down through the open door that lead to the cellar. Smiling to himself, he crept down the old stairs and was 100% sure that the owners weren't around before he lifted the trapdoor with his nose and dived down.

Feeling that it was safe for the moment, he transformed, relishing the use of his human body for a change, he traveled the long passageway for almost an hour, going over his plan in his mind again and again. He kept going until he reached the end of the tunnel, knowing that the way out was above him. Taking a few deep breaths, and silently praying that no one else was around, he forced his way out of the statue's hump and stared around him. He felt like he could've cried from seeing the familiar floor around him, but he would do that later.

Revenge came first.

He walked through the narrow passageways and forgotten corridors, rushing through the school like a forgotten ghost. The doors, the dark corridors and hidden passageways… he remembered them all so well as memories that seem to come from a previous life, or the dreams of a forgotten youth came back to him. Until he finally reached the tower.

The Gryffindor Tower, his first real home from long ago… his place of refuge and safety far away from his family and close by his friends…

What a fitting place that he would finally murder his once, so-called friend.

**(Hope you liked this chapter. Next one, we move onto when Sirius snaps and attacks the Fat Lady. How does he escape? And what about Crookshanks? When does he and that cat become friends? Find out soon!)**


	12. Midnight Madness

_**Chapter 12: Midnight Madness**_

What a fitting place that he would finally murder his once, so-called friend.

Sirius knew that all the students would be down at the feast, meaning that the house dormitories would all be empty for a couple hours. And if he were lucky, then the Weasley boy would leave Peter in his dormitory.

Sirius grinned to himself at the idea… once he got into the Gryffindor common room he would find Wormtail and kill him. He would worry about what he would do next after that. Thankfully, Wormtail hadn't hurt Harry or anyone else in the castle. In fact, he was probably curled up in a corner, shaking with fear at the revenge that Sirius had planned for him after what he did to James and Lily. Oh, he hoped that Wormtail was cowering in terror… he got away for twelve years… he was finally going to get his due.

But as he snuck through the deserted corridors and hid in the shadows at every little noise, he couldn't help but wish that he had the Marauder's Map with him. It would've made things so much easier… he vaguely wondered where it was now…

And while he was thinking of that, he couldn't help but wonder what became for the best friend of all rule-breakers… Prongs' invisibility cloak. Did Harry get it? Or was it one of the many things that were lost after Voldemort destroyed the house?

If the cloak was still in the remains of the house he would have to find it and send it to Harry. He knew that James would've been horrified if his son never got it. And it would make any future prank easier for the boy to pull off… Sirius grinned to himself. He hoped that Harry inherited James's rule-breaking gifts.

He carefully stuck his head around the next corridor and down the hallway… nothing. He sighed in relief as he headed down to a flight of stairs and ran up it—revenge still on his mind.

He was just one floor beneath the common room! Peter was finally going to pay for tearing them apart and ruining so many lives. He kept cursing himself over and over for ever trusting that rat. HE WAS A RAT! He'd known that for years, but he still thought that he could trust someone who transforms into such a cowardly creature. James became a stag because he was protective of his friends… he wanted to transform into something that could protect us. And he wanted to become something to help Moony… but Wormtail… he never will understand why he never saw it coming. It was written in ugly black letters all across Wormtails soul.

Sirius, himself, on the other hand, became a dog because of his loyalty. A loyalty that once would've given his life to protect Wormtail. But now… his loyalty was only to Prongs, Moony, Lily, and Harry. Even if Prongs and Lily are dead… he would forever be loyal to them.

Wormtail, he understood now, was a rat because that's all he ever will be. He'd gone it over and over again in his mind to try and figure out where it all went wrong… but he couldn't figure out how he never saw it before. Wormtail had never been anything else but a cowardly rat that wouldn't hesitate for a moment to turn against his friends just to save his own disgusting neck. All he could do was hope that the rat knew he was coming. He wanted to see him squirm in fear before he got his revenge.

The knife he stole was perfect for this dark task. He took it from a café chief when she wasn't looking, the day before. He would use it… for twelve years he dreamed of having that little worm in his hands and killing him. He betrayed them all when they had trusted him.

He had left the safety of the forest—never thought he would think that—and was risking everything for this one chance. He'd hadn't taken this much of a risk since that night when he tried to get that small glimpse of Harry a while back; and even then, he was more careful than he was doing right now.

As he climbed up the last flight of stairs, he made sure that nobody was around, and then transformed back into his human form. He finally reached the Fat Lady's portrait—glad to see that she was snoozing in her frame.

"Er…excuse me…" he said tentatively. She didn't wake up, so he tried again a little louder—and with as much politeness he could muster. "Excuse me…er… Fat Lady… I need to get in there! Could you let me in?"

The Fat Lady didn't bother opening her eyes as she asked sleepily, "Password?"

"Er… well, about that. You see…" he trailed off pathetically. He had forgotten about this little detail when he had been plotting revenge.

The Fat Lady's eyes opened when he didn't answer, and when she saw Sirius, she let out a shriek of fear. "You—YOU!" she stated, unable to speak anything else.

"No, I was, I mean, you have to believe me! I'm here to—" Sirius stammered, not knowing what to do.

"LEAVE!" she demanded, pointing a shaking finger to a window.

He was finally in front of Gryffindor tower. Harry and all those other innocent kids were in there without any clue that there was a murderer and a traitor in there with them. He was the only one who knew… the only one who could do anything about it.

"_Please!_ You have to let me in!" Sirius shouted at the portrait. "I have to get in there NOW!"

"No! Now leave!" The Fat Lady replied dignifiedly. "You don't have the password and I wouldn't let you in even if you had!"

"LET ME IN!" Sirius shouted again. He raised the knife threateningly. "I don't want to hurt you…"

The Fat Lady shrieked, "I won't!"

Sirius didn't have the slightest idea what happened next. A tiny flame inside him ignited and he just snapped. He didn't know what he had done until it was over. He attacked her. He took the knife and started to slash at the picture—just blind with madness. The Fat Lady screamed again, and ran out of the picture. He wasn't even aware that he had been stabbing and slashing like a maniac.

He kept attacking until the spasm finally passed. But by then it was too late. By then, strips of the canvas had been strewn over the floor, scattered everywhere, with deep gashing in what remained of the portrait… which was now empty. He had stared at the horror at what he had done, unable to move or even breath. At least until he heard Peeves' voice coming up from behind him.

"Tisk-tisk, aren't you in a bad mood tonight, Black!" Peeves cackled. Sirius whipped around to see Peeves the poltergeist floating in the air with his arms crossed and an intrigued expression on his face—like he couldn't have been enjoying himself more if he tried.

"Peeves—what are you… I've got to get in here…" Sirius tried to explain breathlessly.

"Escape?" Peeves laughed. "Good luck with that! The feast is over now! Everyone will be up here soon! Wheeeeeeee!"

He suddenly turned around and started doing somersaults in the air—and down the hall, laughing his head off all the way.

"Peeves—no! You can't! Don't do this!" Sirius cried, but instead of wasting the time he could be using getting out of here, he sprinted back down the opposite side of the hall instead. Transforming back into a dog in mid-run, he continued to sprint to the nearest exit.

The night had been a complete failure and he knew that there was no one to blame but himself. What was he going to do now? Surely Peeves would tell Dumbledore who had ruined the Fat Lady's picture. Why couldn't he control his damn temper? Dumbledore would be sure to increase the protection in the castle after this. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of students drawing nearer… Peeves was right… the feast must be over…

How he got out of the castle was all a blur to him. All he knew was that he had to get out and didn't pay any attention to anything else. But by some miracle, he had been able to get back outside; but he didn't stop running until he was in the very heart of the Forbidden Forest. Out of air—completely exhausted, he collapsed onto his side took several hundred shuddering gasps. Listening to his pounding heart, beating painfully in his thin chest, still not quite believing how badly he messed up… what he did in that one moment of anger and insanity.

He had acted exactly like the cold-blooded murderer everyone thought him to be._ 'No one will believe me now. No one will ever believe me after tonight,'_ he thought in despair. And with that, Sirius plunged into a weary sleep, hoping that when he woke up, it would all be a dream.

But it wasn't.

He blew it all because he couldn't control his damn temper.

_*A few days later*_

Sirius was back in the Shrieking Shack for most of the day… the weather was terrible tonight. It had been raining since last night and hadn't stopped. It was an all-out hurricane raging on out there and Sirius was glad for this—though meager—protection of the shack. Sirius had run straight for the house as soon as the rain started. But by the time he got here, he was still shivering and cold in his wet fur. He transformed and fell onto the bed in one of the upper rooms and listened to the storm rage on.

Dust covered everything in a thick blanket as he looked miserably around the room. Little water droplets leaked in through the tattered roof, and left wet puddles on the floor, which mixed with the dust, making sludge. This house had stood undisturbed for about 15 years, and it certainly looked it too. Sirius sighed again and rolled over onto his side… trying to get comfortable but couldn't. But it was still another hour before he was finally able to closed his eyes, and drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

The days passed by slowly, and Sirius tried to find things to do to keep him from losing what was left of his sanity. He longed for the chance to talk to someone again… just to be in the company of others and hear them talk…

He spent most of his time over the next few days pretending to be a loveable stray and entering Hogsmeade to eat out of trashcans, and sometimes receive a pitying pat on the head from some of the villagers. Once in awhile, an owner of one of the shops would throw out some leftovers for him, which he would eat gratefully. He didn't care if the food was half-eaten table scraps or not… it was still ten times better than the crap they feed you at Azkaban.

Sirius woke up later that night and was glad to see that rain had stopped. Knowing that the Dementors were going to be patrolling the village any second, he quickly left the shack and headed straight for the Whomping Willow exit.

Glad to be out in fresh air again, he climbed out of the willow and gazed around him.

The castle grounds seemed so silent and watchful under the cover of darkness—especially after a fierce storm. The clouds matted the sky—showing that rain would be coming again.

He spent most of the night running around in the forest for a bit and enjoying the fresh, moist air. Lights in the castle were going out one by one as the hour passed by, the flock of owls hooted and flew across the grounds, hunting for mice.

For no reason, Sirius wondered where the cat was.

No sooner had he thought of him, Sirius saw something crossing the grounds. Curious, Sirius—who had ventured out from his hiding place near the edge of the forest—to where he saw that orange and fluffy cat strutting on the grounds as if he owned the place. He reminded him so much of James that Sirius—still as Padfoot—burst out laughing.

At his bark, the cat turned and looked over at him. Sirius—still—not even paying any attention to the cat as he started sniffing at the roots of some random tree. But when he looked up again, he was startled to see that the cat was now only a few feet away from him and was staring at him as if he could see something that no one else could see. Sirius started growling at the cat, telling him to beat it… but then it did something completely unexpected.

The cat walked right over to him and rubbed his head against his side. Shocked, he leapt backwards as if he thought the cat was trying to pull a trick or something… but the cat was now purring loudly at him. Sirius started at it… him… and couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

The bright yellow eyes sparkled with intelligence and the cat almost seemed to grin at him. It was as if his eyes could speak. _'I know that you're no mutt,'_ he seemed to say. Sirius blinked a few times and relaxed. He missed the company of someone else at his side… even if this was a cat… at least he wouldn't be alone anymore. He and the cat strutted across the dark grounds together… for one moment, forgetting that he was one the run and that everyone was after him. At least for tonight, he could pretend that he was still young and handsome… with a new friend that reminded him of James.

**(Yay! Done with another chapter. Sorry if it's not as long as usual. But I promise that there's a good reason for that. Next chapter: The Quidditch match. Unable to pass up seeing his godson play in this game, Sirius turns up to watch the match and is forced to watch in horror as Harry falls. What is going through his mind at that moment? Will he risk everything to try and visit the boy latter on? Find out soon! And I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.)**


	13. Nighttime Visitor

_**Chapter 13: Nighttime Visitor**_

Sirius had made friends with the cat, after a couple more nights of prowling across the grounds together. The cat would often join him for a nighttime stroll and they enjoyed each other's company. Sirius sometimes saw its owner, a girl with bushy-hair, striding around the lawns, sometimes reaching down to pet its head. While she was distracted, it gave Sirius enough time to hide. Sirius had also sometimes seen Harry out and about with the cat's owner a few times… along with the Weasley boy who had Peter. He always gritted his teeth at that thought. He could see the trio head down to Hagrid's hut a couple times a week. Which was strange because they must surely have classes… unless they had classes with Hagrid?

Sirius smiled and barked out a laugh. Oh, he wished that he could go and check it out for himself. Hagrid teaching must be the best.

Late this one day, when the twilight sunset sent a patchwork of colors across the sky, gradually descending from reds to yellow to gold, down to the horizon. It was beautiful, and Sirius sucked in his breath as he watched it until the sun had faded. It had been so long that he had seen the sky that he had almost forgotten the beauty of a sunset. As the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, Sirius took a deep breath of fresh air and stretched out and got up to his feet.

He hadn't tried anything since that disastrous Halloween night. For the last couple weeks, he had been in his Animagus form and ran around in the forest for a bit… trying to find anything remotely editable. Luckily, for him, Azkaban's food had been far worse than rats…

In fact, Sirius thought that his behavior was very good considering what was happening.

November was here and the weather had become stormy and miserable, and it gave Sirius the chills. Each night after hunting the forest for food he would crawl up into a hallow tree or head back to the Shrieking Shack if it rained. Most nights, he would curl up on the broken bed inside the shack and hope that it wouldn't rain tomorrow, so he wouldn't feel so wet, miserable, and cold all the time. But with his luck, of course it rained every day.

Sirius scowled up at the dark clouds in the sky as he woke up every morning. He hated the rain and the chills and was sick and tired being forced to hide. He glanced up at Hogwarts and saw that the lamps were lit in the towers of the castle as the teachers taught the students, and he could sometimes see faces in the windows, longing for the rain to stop so that they could go outside.

Sirius longed for something to happen, a Quidditch game, and earthquake… _anything_ so that he wouldn't lose what was left of his mind by sitting here with nothing to do. He occasionally watched the Gryffindor team practice in the fields, but he hadn't done that lately because he would often see the flying teacher Madam Hooch there—obviously there to keep an eye on Harry. But it wouldn't hurt to see if they were out now though would it? Stretching out his stiff, aching legs, Sirius slipped quietly out of the forest and headed straight to the Quidditch pitch and slipping underneath the bleachers—once or twice he would sometimes see a young red-headed girl there watching the team practice as well, but she never stayed long and Sirius didn't dare get to close to see who she was.

The Gryffindor team was practicing in the rain like he thought they would be and Sirius cautiously stuck his nose out and tried to get a better view. He saw Harry flying around the field and he smiled inwardly. He looked so much like James that it scared Sirius—like he was seeing a ghost of the past returning to him. While watching Harry, Sirius often wondered whether he was somehow sent back in time and been given a second chance, to save James and prevent this terrible future for them all. However, he came back to the present whenever he saw Harry's green eyes. They were bright green, keen, and very clear—as his mother's had been.

The Gryffindor team was in intense training once again and it looked like their first match was coming up. Sirius grinned again, knowing that it the first match was always against Gryffindor and Slytherin—there was no way that those snakes stood a chance against this team. After a few minutes, the Keeper, and from what he gathered, their captain, came storming on the field very angrily. The rest of the team dropped down to the ground in silence, when he got nearer, and Sirius wondered what was going on. He perked up his ears in order to hear what the captain was saying.

"We're not playing Slytherin!" he told them angrily. "Flint's just been to see me. We're playing Hufflepuff instead."

Sirius was surprised to hear that, but he couldn't understand what the problem was either. But this was apparently bad news.

"Why?" the rest of the team demanded in outraged.

"Flint's excuse is that their Seeker's arm's still injured," the captain answered furiously. "But it's obvious why they're doing it. Don't want to play in this weather." He gestured up at the stormy sky and went on, "Think it'll damage their chances…" A clap of thunder was heard in the distance and there was even a flash of lightening.

"There's _nothing wrong_ with Malfoy's arm!" he heard Harry's voice replied furiously. "He's faking it!"

Sirius shook his head in disappointment. _'He's a Slytherin, Harry,'_ he thought. _'They will do and say anything to get what they want.'_

Sirius figured that Malfoy must be the Slytherin Seeker; which meant that he could only be Lucius Malfoy's son… He shook his head. Lucius didn't have any Quidditch talent when he knew him and was willing to bet that his son was the same. He probably had to pay Hogwarts to let his son on the team.

"I know that, but we can't prove it," the captain rejoined bitterly, "And we've been practicing all those moves assuming we're playing Slytherin, and instead it's Hufflepuff, and they're style's quite different. They've got a new Captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory—" He was interrupted by giggles from the three girl Chasers, and he frowned irritably. "What?" he demanded and the girls looked up at him.

"He's the tall, good-looking one, isn't he?" one of them commented.

"Strong and silent," said another, and the girls giggled again.

Sirius thought that name over. Diggory? He vaguely remembered Amos Diggory, a rather conceited, bossy and pompous kid. Sirius hadn't liked very much, but he wondered what his son was like. Obviously a ladies' man… he mustn't be too bad… he did, however, seem like a threat if the captain was acting like this.

One of the Weasley boys said impatiently to them, "He's only silent because he's too thick to string two words together. I don't know why you're worried, Oliver, Hufflepuff is a pushover. Last time we played them, Harry caught the Snitch in about five minutes, remember?"

Sirius smiled inwardly as he heard of Harry's feat, and his tail began wagging.

"We were playing in completely different conditions!" Oliver responded fervently. His eyes were bulging as he glared at them all as if he thought that they were dim. "Diggory's put a very strong side together! He's an excellent Seeker! I was afraid you'd take it like this! We mustn't relax! We must keep our focus! Slytherin is trying to wrong-foot us! We _must_ win!"

"Oliver, calm down!" said the Weasley boy who had spoken a moment ago, looking alarmed. "We're taking Hufflepuff very seriously. _Seriously._"

The team then began their practice and played well into the night, training harder than ever. But when it finally ended, he turned and headed back to the forest before anyone saw him. He headed down the dirty passageway happily—looking forward to tomorrow.

_*The Next Day*_

Sirius blinked the pouring rain out of his eyes and climbed out of the Willow just when the cat had appeared once again. Sirius jumped in surprise to see the cat—especially when it looked as wet and miserable in the rain as much as he was. Suddenly, he heard a loud cheer coming from the Quidditch pitch. The cat meowed loudly at him, as if to say, _"Follow me."_ Completely bewildered, Sirius trotted after the bottlebrush-tailed cat.

Why did this cat seem to trust him? It seemed agitated to be out in the pouring rain, but it seemed as though it had been waiting for Sirius there, and it wasn't about to leave, which made Sirius even more lost. This was no normal cat.

Soon, the Quidditch pitch came into his view and he could hear commentary being shouted through a mega-phone. Sirius barked softly at the cat, and it turned to look at him. The look it its flat face seemed to respond, _'I'm taking you there… you wanted to see the game don't you?'_

'_Thank you… __thank you_!' Sirius barked, not knowing if the cat could understand him, but was to happy to notice it. He bounded towards the steps that led to the topmost empty seats with uncontainable excitement. The crazy, reckless urge to want to see his godson play overcame him and though he realized as dangerous it would be in case Remus was at the match and recognized him, but he couldn't help himself.

When he reached the top, he sat up in the topmost row, and stared up into the rain-filled sky, searching for Harry.

At first, he couldn't even see anything other than the dozens of heads in front of him, partially blocking his view of the Quidditch pitch, and then to make matters worse there was a heavy, constant downpour the entire time, making it hard to see ten feet in front of him. But when the players took off, he could pick him out easily—he flew with even more talent than any of the others.

He had seen them all training every hour of the day… however, training was one thing, a real-life game was another. Harry was just a red and gold blur flying around the Quidditch pitch, obscured by the rain. Yet despite the rain and the heavy wind, he was clearly a natural at flying. It was impressive to see a thirteen year old boy tough it out and keep flying even in these horrible conditions, and he knew he'd have flown even better during a clear day.

Sirius watched him intensely, trying not to confuse him with the other red blurs that were flying past. Every time he dodged a Bludger or made a particularly fast turn on his broom, Sirius laugh inwardly and thought, '_He's the Quidditch star you always wanted him to be, James…'_

It was raining and thundering harder as the two teams played, and the players kept crashing into each other on their brooms. Nobody could see the game clearly—which made Sirius wonder why didn't they postpone the game until the weather was better? Once, the Gryffindor Keeper landed and tried to call for a time-out. Slowly, the Gryffindor players descended, one by one, with Harry landing last.

As the scarlet-robed team huddled underneath a large umbrella, the bushy-haired girl he had seen a few times, ran out from the stands and toward the team. Sirius had to squint his eyes as he watched her reach them but she didn't stay long before she ran back to the stands. A few minutes later, the team then rose back up into the air again, ready to play again.

Harry seemed to have a much better sense of direction now. Flying like a falcon… but went he turned back to the middle of the field, and there was a huge crash of lightening—he suddenly looked into the stands, toward Sirius' direction… _straight at him._ Their eyes met for a fraction of an instant…

Sirius was unable to move… at least until he heard the Keeper called, in an anguished tone, "Harry! Behind you!"

That yell brought him back to his senses as he panicked and dived under the stands. He didn't dare come back out… but unable to help himself, Sirius poked his head out just so that he could see what was going on. Harry spun around, shook the water out of his hair, and started heading straight up.

That was when a sudden silence spread over the cheering crowd, and Sirius felt a horribly familiar feeling of cold wash over him. He looked down and saw them… Dementors. They were here, during the Quidditch match. Swooping around like skeletal shadows, looking up at the players and Sirius's heart started to pound; wondering if it would be safer to stay put, or run for the Willow.

People all across the stands were gasping in fear, shivering and screaming in terror. Sirius felt a twinge of guilt, knowing that the Dementors were only there because of him, and just by being there he was making all of the students have to suffer the Dementors' effects. He looked down to see where the teachers were all sitting, to see how Dumbledore was taking the sudden appearance of these creatures. Even through the dense rain, it was almost as if Sirius could feel that Dumbledore was seething with rage.

He didn't even see _it _happen at first. He was too busy looking around the stands, trying to find a way out before the Dementors got too close to him; he wasn't even paying attention to the match anymore. But then he heard a terrified gasp chorus through the crowd.

"Look at Potter!" he heard someone screaming from a seat below him. Sirius looked up, as some students started to scream in terror. Harry was falling from the sky, pelting straight for the ground as limp as a rag doll. His broom was caught in the wind and was blown away from the pitch—but Sirius couldn't care less about that part. Harry was plummeting too fast—if someone didn't step in then…

Sirius stopped breathing, as time seemed to slow down as he watched the body fall—he had to save Harry… getting ready to jump out and do—he didn't know what—he just needed to do something.

But Dumbledore was far ahead of him. Dumbledore ran out onto the field and waved his wand at Harry, whose fall slowed down just before he hit the ground. Dumbledore then turned to the Dementors, and produced one of the strongest patronuses Sirius had ever seen. The silver phoenix charged at the Dementors, causing them to scatter and leave the stadium. The Headmaster was brimming with fiery anger as the stands into loud chatter as soon as the Dementors left. Sirius stomach did a horrible somersault. But it was made even worse when he heard the murmurs and cries throughout the stands:

_"That was Harry Potter!"_

"_Do you think he's alright?"_

"_He fell from fifty feet! You honestly think he's ok?"_

Sirius could only watch as Dumbledore turned back to Harry, who was lying in the mud a few feet away. Dumbledore bent over him for a moment before he conjured a stretcher, and floated Harry onto it and took him up to the castle. Sirius could only sit there in shock. His godson had lay there, looking dead, but he couldn't be dead.

The rest of the Gryffindor team ran towards the castle as well; everyone in the stands, with the exception of the Slytherins, looked scared, but the Gryffindors looked downright terrified. The girl and the redheaded Weasley jumped onto the pitch and ran after the team as well, with panic stricken looks on both their faces.

Sirius could barely move. He felt numb._ 'Harry's okay,' _he tried to reassure himself. '_Dumbledore slowed him down before he hit the ground… he's sure to be ok… he has to be…'_

It took some time for Sirius to remember how to use his limbs and ran out of the stadium, angry with himself for even being cocky enough to think that the Dementors were too dumb to catch him. Sirius made his way back to the Whomping Willow, but he saw the cat was there, waiting for him.

'_What do you want?' _Sirius scowled at the cat.

The cat just looked at him. _'Look,'_ he thought to the cat as he glanced up to the castle, _'I don't know if you can hear me. But I just made a big mistake. I would leave if I could. But I can't until I finish my mission. If I could only get my hands on a particular rat in the castle…?'_

The cat purred loudly, as if he really could understand him. Sirius looked back at him… trying to tell him what it was that he wanted. The rat in Gryffindor tower. '_You know what I'm looking for?'_

The cat purred again and got up with a flick of his tail… as if to say, _'Of course I know. Leave it to me.'_

Sirius barked, and headed for the hole at the base of the Whomping Willow, now soaked to the bone, and sure that he was going to be sick when he woke up tomorrow. And saw with horror that there, at the base of the tree, were the remains of Harry's broomstick. It was already in pieces as he got near it.

He felt rather than saw someone coming, and when he looked behind him, he spotted one of the teachers coming out to retrieve the bits of wood. He recognized that small figure… it was Flitwick. Sirius glanced at the shredded broom, and quickly grabbed it in his mouth so that he could bring it out of the reach of the trees swinging branches, before disappearing in the hole before the teacher could see him. He watched through the roots of the tree as Flitwick collected the pieces of the broomstick in a bag.

Once Flitwick had gone back to the castle, Sirius went to the bed and sat down, sopping wet and depressed. He had ruined the Quidditch match. He had made Harry fall from his broomstick. It was all his fault and he knew it. He knew what he had to do. He had to get Harry a new broomstick… maybe the cat could help him somehow. Sirius sighed in defeat. It was the least he could do… he would pay for the damage. For Christmas, he would send Harry a new broomstick, and make his godson happy again.

_*Later that night*_

He knew that he could've been caught. He wasn't stupid, but what he was doing was incredibly stupid and reckless… And that was how Sirius liked it.

He was standing in the shadowy doorway of the hospital wing making sure that Madam Pomfrey was asleep before he stepped out of the shadows and crept across the room toward the only occupied bed.

He knew that he shouldn't be here, but he had to make sure. His own godson almost died because of the Dementors today… and it was because of _him_… that it happened. He had to make sure that Harry was alright before he could even hope to get some rest.

So there he was in the dead of night, creeping through the castle and into the hospital wing like some sort of ghost. Harry was lying in a bed at the end of the room. The corner of his mouth twitched into an almost smile. But the happy thoughts vanished almost instantly and were replaced with both excited and fearful. He tried not to breathe too much so he could hear the sound of the boy's breathing.

Words couldn't possibly explain everything he felt in that moment as he crept closer and closer to the railed bed where he slept. When he leaned over as quiet as a shadow and looked at him his heart started pounding and he was locked in a tight grip of the most powerful affection he'd ever felt. The only other time he had felt this emotion so strongly was when he held baby Harry for the first time, the day he was born.

Though he knew that he looked almost exactly like James… the resemblance was astonishing. There were only a few differences they tiniest trace of Lily was somewhere in his face. His messy, dark hair was still damp from the rain and there were smears of dried mud on his face.

He stood there, watching his chest rise and fall with every breath he took. He looked peaceful as he slept, but every now and then he'd clench his eyes shut even tighter as though there he was seeing a bright light in his dreams. After a while, Sirius worked up the nerve to reach out and touch him, make sure that he wasn't going mad. So he reached out and gently touched the boy's face with a trembling, claw-like hand. The warmth and softness of his skin proved to him that this wasn't a dream and a sad smile appeared on his face. He ran his hand through the mess of black hair as well… like a loving parent would do to a sick child. However, Harry started to cringe in his sleep, and Sirius realized how cold his hand was and he pulled away before he woke him up.

But even after he took his hand away, Harry didn't return to his peaceful sleep. The boy's brow soon began to furrow and he became tense in his sleep. His breathing quickened and he turned his head away, as if attempting to shield his face from an unknown danger. He cried out suddenly, and his back arched slightly as he turned his face the other way. He was clearly having a nightmare.

Sirius suspected that his cold hand interrupted his calm dreams and made him start having this nightmare. Or maybe it was from the Dementors that were haunting him. Either way, he couldn't do anything to help him. He couldn't wake him up and comfort him, he couldn't even wake him up at all, because if he woke up and saw _him_ standing over him…

He shook his head as he watched him twitch and cringe in his sleep, wishing he could do something besides just standing there feeling helpless. He knew that he had to go, and regretfully—slipped back out the hospital wing door, transformed into a dog, and headed straight to the nearest exit.

He knew that Voldemort would be back someday—how he knew, he didn't know. But he knew that Peter was allowed to live; there was a chance that Harry would be in grave danger. The Death Eaters in Azkaban still laughed and shrieked about Voldemort coming back in their sleep. Sirius knew that the first thing Voldemort would do as soon as he returned would be go after Harry.

Not on his watch.

**(Sorry for taking so long to update. Would've done it sooner, but the computer was infected with a bad virus and I only just got it back today. Next chapter: it's Christmas time and Sirius was trying to find the best broomstick out there. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.)**


	14. Tastes like Christmas

_**Chapter 14: Tastes like Christmas**_

Things hadn't been easy for Sirius. Hell, nothing has ever been easy for him. These days, he had done almost nothing else but sit and hope that Harry would come outside. Sirius hated the fact that he could only watch Harry from afar. He had tried to drink in as much as he can glimpse of godson without revealing himself. After all, he hasn't seen him since he was a baby, and this never-ending guilt kept crashing over him like giant waves whenever he thought of how much he missed out on… of going to Quidditch games, birthdays, receiving threatening notes from McGonagall about how much trouble he's gotten into…

Just so many wonderful memories that he could've had were now impossible… never to get back. And during these dark thoughts, he could only picture a rat that had been in their presence all this time.

The only thing that consoles him whenever that filthy rat appeared in his head, are the constant vows to himself that he will catch and kill him, even if it's the last thing he did.

He also wondered several times a day where Remus was and what he's doing. He had also tried to get any glimpse him as well, however he never seemed to come out of the castle. Sirius always made sure to stay clear of the Shrieking Shack during the full moon just in case Remus ever went there. Sirius had no idea where his old friend when to transform anymore, but he never seemed to appear at the shack.

Not that Sirius would risk it. Though he couldn't deny that he had been hoping for a chance to talk to him… at least one more time to tell him how sorry he was… just for Remus to understand that he never betrayed their friends.

November passed by slowly, once in awhile, the cat would appear and give him some company—which Sirius was truly grateful for. He thought it was odd that he had taken so much comfort from a cat—a cat of all creatures! But it was so good to know that he wasn't alone anymore.

But Christmas was also approaching, and Sirius wanted to do something for Harry. He wanted to get him something to make up for the all the birthdays and Christmases that he had missed out on. It was more than fair, and Sirius wanted to get him something that Harry could cherish and love. He decided to buy Harry a new broomstick. He could afford it… he knew it. The only question was how to get it? Oh, and what kind of model?

Somehow he had to get his hands on a piece of parchment and a quill. And he had to find out what the best broom was. He felt that it was his fault that Harry lost his old one after all, so he was going to make sure that whatever he got him is nothing but the best.

Sirius decided to go to Hogsmeade and see if he could scrounge up a paper; there were sure to be ads for brooms. All he had to do was go to get a copy of the paper, and sneak back here before dark. Something that he wasn't looking forward to. To be honest, he had been avoiding going to Hogsmeade… knowing full well that the Dementors would be waiting—or someone would see him—namely Remus.

But he had no choice. And so he set off.

He remembered all the Honeydukes streets and shortcuts with fondness as he walked along the achingly familiar roads in that deep snow… it brought everything back.

He and James would constantly sneak out and explore these streets. How they would spend so much money on sweets and joke stuff… Sirius felt close to crying when he saw how nothing seemed to have changed. He had managed to distract himself by focusing on what he had to do. He'd have to try and find that newspaper thought and… ah.

A large man with a thin mustache had just rolled up his paper and tossed it carelessly into a nearby bin. What luck? Sirius waited until he was sure the man was gone before he stood up on his hind legs and fished the wrinkled paper out of the trash. With a mouthful of paper and ink, he turned and ran straight back towards the shack.

The bedroom felt usually warm compared to the cold air and snow outside; and he was now lying on his back on the broken bed as a human. And of course, the first thing he saw was his face looking back up at him on the front page.

SIRIUS BLACK STILL REMAINS AT LARGE!

Sirius rolled his eyes and turned the pages, hoping that he could find…

Oh, there we are… the latest broom ads…

_THE FIREBOLT  
This state of the art racing broom sports a streamlined, superfine handle of ash, treated with a diamond-hard polish and hand-numbered with its own registration number. Each individually selected birch twig in the broomtail has been honed to aerodynamic perfection, giving the Firebolt unsurpassable balance and pinpoint precision. The Firebolt has an acceleration of 0-150 miles an hour in ten seconds and incorporates an unbreakable braking charm. Price on request._

It was the most beautiful broomstick that he had ever seen! Sirius could feel his own mouth beginning to drool as he stared at the picture. This was the best and the latest model… the fastest the wizarding world has seen…

And Sirius knew that it would be the perfect gift.

He had made up his mind. That's the broom that he was going to get Harry. But now came the next problem. How was he supposed to access his vault and order it? He could always write them a letter telling them to take the money from his vault, but if the letter was in his name…

Wait, that was it. He would just use Harry's name but tell them to take it straight from his vault. Now all he needed was some parchment, and a way to send it.

Just problem after problem… how on earth was he supposed to get some parchment and a quill? He supposed that he could always sneak back up to the school and steal some… or maybe he could go back to Hogsmeade and hunt in the trash? Either way, he would be taking more chances at being caught.

But he needed to get his hands on some parchment though.

"Meow."

Sirius jumped at the sudden sound and saw the ginger cat sitting there on the floor, staring up at him with his large yellow eyes.

"You," Sirius croaked, and he was shocked at how hoarse his own voice sounded. He then realized that he hadn't spoken a word in English, or any human language for that matter, since that disastrous Halloween night. He felt that his throat was going to be torn apart from using words again, but at the same time it also felt so good to be able to use his voice again.

He smiled forcefully at the cat, his face having to work very hard to do so. The cat began to purr and to his surprise, the furball walked over and leapt up onto the bed with him. He lowered his fluffy head near his hand and rubbed against it, demanding to be petted. Sirius chuckled—feeling better than he had in a long time—and scratched the cat behind his ears.

"It's good to have someone else here," he croaked out as he sat up and continued to stroke him. The cat curled up on his lap and seemed ready for a nap. That was when Sirius thought of something, "Hey—ah, cat," he said a little awkwardly.

The cat opened one of his yellow eyes and looked up at him. Great, how was he supposed to tell a cat what he wanted?

"Listen," he went on clumsily. "I don't know if you can understand me, but I need you to help me. Up in Gryffindor tower there is a rat that a boy owns. I need you to try and bring him to me. But for right now, what I really need is some parchment, ink, and a quill. I have something that I need to do. But it's not safe for me to go out. Think you can help me out?"

For a moment, he couldn't believe that he was doing this. He was about to forget it, when the cat suddenly leapt up and quickly left. But he turned his head around to look at him as if to say, _'Leave it to me, if you must.'_

Sirius grinned again, "Thanks."

He didn't even care he sounded stupid, it just felt so wonderful to talk to someone again—even if it was a cat. He wasn't sure how he knew… he just knew that he could trust that feline. He looked out the window. It was getting dark; and the Dementors were going to be coming soon. He quickly transformed and curled up on the bed. He shut his eyes and went to sleep.

Sirius didn't even feel those soul-suckers when he dozed off. Though that didn't mean that he slept soundly… he had nightmares again.

He dreamt of seeing James's dead eyes staring up at him in the crumbling house…

His eyes snapped open in fear and sat bolt-upright. The sun was shining through the boarded up windows, and he could hear the distance sounds of people doing their shopping in the village.

He transformed back into a human to discover that he was dripping in sweat and gasping for breath. He wiped the sweat from his forehead only to feel something warm and furry next to him. He quickly looked besides him and, sure enough, there was the cat curled up in a ball.

As soon as Sirius had moved, the cat woke up. He yawned widely and stretched out before he got up to his feet and rubbed his head against Sirius's side again.

"Hey you," Sirius croaked out to it and scratched behind his ears.

The cat mewed again and jumped off the bed to where, to Sirius's astonishment, there was roll of parchment, a short quill, and a tiny bottle of ink. Sirius stared at these items in amazement.

"How—how did you…?" he gasped hoarsely. "I-I just…" he was speechless. And this was coming from him of all people!

He just sank to his knees and stared at them in wonder. The cat rubbed itself next to him and Sirius could only absentmindedly pet him. After a few minutes he looked down at his new friend and said, "You aren't a normal cat aren't you?"

The cat purred as if to say, _'Of course not!'_

Sirius could only laugh and say gratefully, "Thank you."

As the cat went back to sleep, Sirius knelt down and unrolled the paper. To his surprise, and amusement, he saw that this was the beginning of some random kid's essay about werewolves. Sirius could only chuckle as he wondered how Moony would be taking this. He tore off that part and flung it away before he got to work filling out the order form.

He wrote Harry's name instead of his own, but since this was a gift, Sirius wrote down his own Gringotts vault number, hoping that no one would notice or care that it was his.

Now, he wanted the broom to arrive to Harry in time for Christmas. For a long time, Sirius could only stare at the paper in mild confusion._ 'Come on…'_ he told himself almost angrily. _'You can do this. Think… I know that it's been twelve years, but you couldn't have forgotten how to write! Just start…'_

He was having a hard time trying to remember how to write. It's a good think that he got a whole roll of paper to work with.

_*Several hours later*_

Finally, after who knows how many hours, Sirius had finally been able to write a short letter. He hadn't been sure if he would write as if he was a kid who had a broken broom or just order the broom and leave it at that?

It was very short, considering he had been working on it for most of the day. But he was pleased with it…

_I would like to put an order in for a Firebolt Racing Broom. I want it to be delivered no later than by Christmas morning. My previous broom, a Nimbus model had been destroyed in a freak accident not long ago and I would like to have it replaced. The money for the broom is to be taken out of vault seven hundred and eleven from Gringotts Bank in Diagon Alley. Show the letter to __t__he Goblins if there is any trouble. It is to be delivered to this address._

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Gryffindor House_

_Harry Potter_

All right, that sounded decent. Now all he had to do was deliver it. How though… he was still working on that. Just as he finished sealing it up however, the cat leapt off the bed and sat in front of him. Startled, Sirius asked it, "What is it?"

The cat just mewed and raised one of his tiny paws up at the letter in his hands. He looked back to the cat and thought that maybe it will take the letter for him to the Post Office later since he can't give it to them in person. And a cat would be less noticeable than a big dog.

Smiling, Sirius held it out, "Think you can take this to the Post Office?"

"Meow," the cat answered and picked it up in his mouth before he strutted away.

_*Several weeks later*_

Hopefully Harry would receive his Firebolt by Christmas like he had planned. Sirius only wished that he could tell his godson who it was who gave him the new broom, and why… and how sorry he was for everything.

The holidays had already started and it had been weeks since he wrote and sent out the order form; at least he _thought_ it had been. It was impossible to keep track of time anymore… instead, he focused most of his days trying to find a decent meal and how to stay warm from the cold nights—which didn't help with the Dementor's presence. But during the day, he would watch Hogsmeade in the distance and was reminded of a simpler time when he used to go scurrying down the road to Honeydukes.

Back then things were so simple. The world seemed so much more innocent.

Maybe that's why he wanted to make Harry's Christmas so special. So would have as many happy memories as possible.

Once, he even saw Harry walking in Hogsmeade with his two friends—but why was he without his cloak? What was he thinking? He watched the boy from a distance until he saw them all enter the Three Broomsticks together. He waited and watched until his godson had left… and he was concerned to see the angry and hurt expression on his face. He watched until he was out of his sight. Now what has happened?

Well, Christmas was less than a week away, hopefully the broomstick would cheer him up.

_*One week later*_

Christmas had come, and so had the freezing snow and dark nights. Even in his Padfoot form, Sirius was constantly shivering from the wind and cold. He no longer dared to transform back anymore… he did think that his weakened human body could handle this weather. His thick dog fur was his only protection against the elements.

But the glorious castle was covered in a thick layer of snow, as were the grounds; within a few days it was almost worth it to see how many wonderful memories it brought back. The students seemed to be enjoying themselves as well as they constantly out in the snow, bundled up in their cloaks, to have snowball fights. Sirius had occasionally seen young couples disappear under heavy clusters of icicle-covered mistletoe—which were either early gift-giving or perhaps even a first kiss. It was almost painful to watch.

Sirius had awoken bright and early on Christmas morning as if he was still a child and had enjoyed the snow more than any of the students. He rolled in the snow, far from anyone who could be watching… feeling freer than he had in twelve years. He remembered how he had longed to see and throw snow again on a bright Christmas morning from his lonely cell in Azkaban.

He lay on his back and stared up at the gently falling flurry… just appreciating the sky again…

He remembered the last Christmas he ever had with Lily and James. He could practically smell and taste Lily's delicious Christmas turkey, while he and James would play with Harry on the rug underneath the tree. The baby boy was playing with the paper and gazed in wonder at the moving ornaments that flew around him. He could still feel when Prongs would put the tiny baby on his lap and Sirius would lift Harry up onto his shoulders as he laughed.

He wondered what Harry and Moony were doing?

Well, he knew what Moony was most likely doing. Tonight was a full moon, which meant that he would be sleeping in. Tonight was going to be brutal. Sirius wished that he could be there for him, to help him like he had done countless times in the past.

Harry on the other hand was most likely waking up right about now to find the large pile of gifts at the foot of his bed. Sirius hoped that the Firebolt arrived on time for him. He only wished that he could be there to see the look on his face when he opened it, but knew that it would be impossible.

He whined as he rolled back onto his feet and cantered back to the shack—shaking the glittering snow out of his fur as he did. He better enjoy the day staying warm, once twilight fell he would leave and spend the night in the forest or risk meeting Moony tonight.

But he couldn't go back. For the rest of the day, Sirius had hidden on the outskirts of the forest… waiting, hoping to see his godson run out onto the lawn with the Firebolt to try out. He kept his watch close on the empty Quidditch field, wondering what was taking so long.

It was already getting late by the time anyone had come out, but it had only been Hagrid leading a large, grey Hippogriff around the grounds for some exercise. Sirius couldn't sit still. He thought for sure that Harry would've been out by now. Surely he would've gone out to try a new broomstick? Perhaps he was worried that it was too cold? Or maybe the broom didn't come today?

As he thought over the possibilities, the cat had appeared silently at his side—carrying a large turkey drumstick in his mouth. He set it down at his feet and Sirius picked up its delicious scent. He looked down at the food and he could feel his stomach growling.

'_Hey, now_,' Sirius thought as he touched the cat's nose in thanks. '_You don't have to be here with me_.' But he gratefully took the food that the cat brought him. It tasted like Christmas.

**(Oh, what a sad Christmas. Oh, Sirius… you are the coolest dog on this planet. Hope you all liked how Sirius spent the holidays… in the next chapter… Sirius breaks into the tower to find Wormtail! Thank you all.)**


	15. Trip to Gryffindor Tower

_**Chapter 15: Trip to Gryffindor Tower**_

Christmas passed quietly for Sirius, which didn't come as a surprise because he had to spend it alone. For the rest of winter, he spent most of his time curled up in the Shrieking Shack, trying to keep warm. But, of course, that was almost impossible with a leaky roof, broken windows, and drafty walls that seemed ready to fall down at any moment. Sirius was forced to leave the shack a few times a day to hunt for food. Mostly rats or other small animals… it wasn't a glamorous life, but hey, it was the best that he could do for now.

But when January rolled around, Sirius was getting impatient again. He wasn't sure how much more of this pointless waiting he could take. He had to get out of here and find Peter! To find him and rip him limb from limb…

That is, until the cat suddenly appeared in the Shrieking Shack at twilight one day with part of a torn blood-soaked sheet. Sirius stared at it in wonderment as he transformed back into a human for just a moment and took the patch of fabric. What could this mean?

"What are you trying to say?" he asked the cat confusedly as he examined the fabric in his dirty hands. Peter had already escaped one too many times; he couldn't let him escape again.

The cat mewed and looked down. "Don't tell me…" Sirius groaned. This could only mean one of two things. Either the rat was dead… or faking it. Judging from the cat's face, he didn't think that Peter was dead. Well, faking his death worked once… he must've thought that it work again. Too bad for him that Sirius knew his tricks by now.

He got up and paced the room. "Don't worry," he said—whether he was talking to himself or the cat he wasn't completely sure. "Chances are he's still in Hogwarts… even a rat would have a hard time finding his way out of that place in one night. Or, he might have even gone back to the boy by now if he thought that _I_ thought he was dead for good this time… but I have to make sure. I've got to try and sneak into Hogwarts. Tonight if I can. We might be able to find him… or at the least scare him back into the castle where you might be able to catch him." He looked down at the cat and it turned and started back down the trapdoor towards the Whomping Willow. It was as if he was trying to say, _'Come on then. Stop wasting time!'_

Sirius smirked before he transformed and followed in silence. If Peter had gotten away again… he didn't want to think of it. No, he wasn't going to think of it. He was going to get that rat even if it killed him.

When they emerged from the tunnel, the sky outside was dark and the moon was starting to rise. He blinked a few times before he saw the cat's bottlebrush tail dancing in front of him, motioning for Sirius to follow him through the trees to the left of the Willow. Sirius quietly followed, but in no time at all he could hear voices, and he stopped at once.

"It's amazing! Did you see how fast I could get it to go?" Sirius recognized this as that Weasley boy's voice almost at once. Through the darkness, Sirius could make out two boys walking towards them, heading away from the Quidditch pitch and going back up to the castle. He quickly backed into the shadows as far as he could, but still close enough that he could see them. As they drew nearer, he saw him again.

Harry was there with him, and Sirius was delighted to see that he had the Firebolt on his shoulder. He grinned—at the look of happiness on his godson's face—he could tell that Harry loved it.

"Yeah I did. You were really…" Harry began, but he suddenly cut himself off as he froze—stopping dead in his tracks. He was staring right at Sirius as if he could see him. Sirius had a flashback of that night last summer when the boy could somehow sense that he was there and for a moment, Sirius considered if it would be possible to run for it.

"What's the matter?" the boy said quietly to Harry. Harry didn't say anything, but pointed straight to where Sirius hid. The Weasley boy pulled out his wand and as Sirius saw it, he quickly darted a safe distance away noiselessly. He couldn't let Harry see him.

_"Lumos!" _he could hear the red-head call out, but Sirius was out of the light just in time. The only thing that they saw was the cat.

"Get out of here!" the red-head bellowed at it. Sirius saw him bend down to pick up a rock to chuck at him, but the cat dashed away to Sirius's side. "See? She's still letting him wander about wherever he wants—probably washing Scabbers down with a couple of birds now…"

'_You didn't eat him, did you?' _Sirius stared at the cat accusingly. The cat didn't bother to look at him before it strutted off behind Harry and Ron, but Sirius hung back. _'Where are you going?'_ he wanted to ask, but the cat was already out of his sights.

No, there was no chance he could get in now. Besides, how would he get into the common room? He had that problem once before and he didn't want to lose his temper again and attack the Fat Lady… if she was still there that is. His first attempt to gain access to the Gryffindor tower was a disaster and he had mentally kicked himself for letting his anger get in the way of reason. Of course the Fat Lady wouldn't let him in the common room! Why did he lose control that way? He could've found some way to explain it… But nnnnnoooooo… he just had to lose that famous temper of his didn't he?

Now the whole castle knew he was here! Damn it! But the idea that that little scum was sleeping in a warm bed, cared for as a pampered pet and able to see Harry every day… he just lost it.

Instead, Sirius decided to search the edges of the forest for some food for now and try to think of a way to get inside in the morning. If he knew Peter at all, he would not have gone as far as the forest—even as a kid, he was afraid of those trees. Sprinting at top speed, Sirius ran back to the wood, where he would stay for the rest of the night. It was past midnight when the cat came back to meet him however… and it changed everything.

In his mouth this time looked like a roll of parchment and when it saw him, the cat dropped it at his feet. Sirius nudged the roll of parchment open with his nose and looked at a long list of words under the feeble light of the moon.

It looked to be a list of strange words like 'Scurvy Cur', and 'Oddsbodikins'. For a moment, he couldn't make out what they were… when suddenly it hit him! One of these words must be the password for Gryffindor tower! Feeling as though he could've kissed the cat, he picked it up with his mouth and ran back to the Shack, ready to plan out the next trip to the castle.

It wasn't until he watched Gryffindor trounce Ravenclaw did he take his chance. If Gryffindors still partied they way that they did when he was in school, then by the time they went to bed, they would be too tired to notice him. This time he hid just outside the pitch where he could watch and not have to worry about being seen. He couldn't help but bark proudly as he watched the Chasers kick the Ravenclaw's Keeper's butt and Harry caught the Snitch right underneath that girl's nose. When he looked down and spotted the three dementors he was so close to charging out and doing something reckless to keep Harry from falling again, but before he did anything, a strong Patronus came charging out of nowhere and ran them down.

It was then that he realized that they weren't dementors, but a bunch of pathetic Slytherins. Smirking to himself, he looked up in time to see Harry holding his arm up in triumph. He quickly left not long after that, but was still grinning from ear to ear.

But tonight was the night…

Sirius had the list of passwords and the knife that he stole with him as he crept through the castle early that next morning. Whenever he passed a window or by torchlight, it glinted menacingly. As a dog, he slunk low along the corridors of the castle, through every single secret passageway he could think of until he entered the familiar corridor. Creeping low against the wall in the deep shadows, Sirius considered the common room door. He stopped dead and saw that instead of the Fat Lady's portrait, there was a portrait of a small knight. Puzzled, vaguely wondering if he took a wrong turn, he transformed back into a man and crept closer.

When he got closer, he recognized the knight and he had to fight back the bark of laughter that wanted to erupt. Sir Cadogan? Of all the portraits that it could've been, they choose Sir Cadogan! What a surge of luck! Stepping out of the shadows, he strode purposefully up to the portrait. He might be able to pull this off after all.

He coughed to get the knight's attention and he woke up grumpily. "W-who dares awake the noble knight Sir Cadogan?" He called out groggily. He then looked down in time to see Sirius standing there and brandished his sword. "Stand and Fight, you mangy…"

"Scurvy Cur."

Sir Cadogan was momentarily caught off guard. "What was that? What did you say?"

Sirius looked down at the small paper in his hand, "Scurvy Cur," he repeated and glanced back up at the portrait. "That _IS_ the password, isn't it? If not…"

"And who might you be?" Sir Cadogan demanded. "I have not seen the likes of you before. What bring thee here?"

"Doesn't matter who I am," Sirius said quickly. "I'm no one worth remembering. But look I have this list of passwords, if you want I'll read them all until I get the right one." Sirius had to play this carefully. He had to stay patient… he was so close…

He read them off, without the knight's answer. And after several tries, the knight swung open the portrait unexpectedly when Sirius had said the right words. Started for a moment, but he snapped out of it to almost fly into the room. Sirius looked into the common room vigilantly; ready to run out if there was anyone. But to his greatest relief, though not all surprised, it was empty. He looked all around the warm room… hadn't changed! There were bits of food and decorations still scattered everywhere showing the party that must've happened… hopefully everyone would be dead to the world after a part like this one.

He ran his hand over the armchairs in front of the dead fire with longing. He had to fight the urge to sit. He knew that if he did, then he would fall asleep and he couldn't let that happen. He had a job to do! Once he did it, he would worry about what to do later.

Sirius moved to the boys' dormitory steps soundlessly. He slipped out the knife from his pocket and held it tightly in his hands as he crept up several levels. Reading each sign as he passed the different boy's dormitories, he stopped outside the door with the sign indicating, "Third Years". His heart hammering madly, he took a few calming breaths and reminded himself why he was here. Slowly he pushed the door open, stepped through and making sure that it was open behind him in case he was in need of a quick escape.

He looked around the messy room and saw that all five beds had their curtains drawn. All five boys were fast asleep, with any luck if he was quiet, he would be able to get this over with without waking them. He crept around each bed, trying to find the right one. Clothes and books were haphazardly tossed over trunks and chairs or scattered on the floor as he carefully made his way around the room. Posters of Quidditch teams were attached to the walls and… to his amusement, a Muggle poster of a football team was hung over the bed closest to him.

He stood there for several minutes trying to decide where he should look first. Since the photo in the paper where he first saw Peter showed the Weasleys, an entire wizarding family, he didn't have to bother checking the bed with the football poster… and so he crept to the next bed. He opened the curtain by a hair… he saw a shock of sandy-colored hair sticking out from the blankets and knew that it wasn't this one.

Heart hammering wildly, he advanced on to the next bed. He was starting to get frustrated and a little panicky. It was only a matter of time before one of the boys woke up and he had to hurry and find the rat before they did. Rage that the man who caused it all was probably sleeping in that very room!

He opened the curtains of the next bed and stopped dead. It was Harry.

He took one step closer and opened the curtains a little wider to get a better look at his godson who seemed to be deeply asleep. He recognized that shock of black hair anywhere. For a moment, he could've sworn in was James! He was tempted to wake him up and see…

But the boy turned over in his sleep and Sirius was about ready to run, but Harry didn't wake up, he just slept on. Sirius could see his face now and Sirius felt his heart ache something awful. This was almost painful to look at… to see a ghost of James. Unable to look any longer, he quietly closed the curtains and went to the next bed.

This time he found the right one. It was the boy with red hair this time. Sirius raised his knife in his hand and looked everywhere, for any trace of Peter… he had to find that rat… the rat he hated as much as Voldemort…

Suddenly, his hatred grew so large and so quickly that, without thinking, he slashed his knife against the curtains—desperate to find Peter, to scare him awake and then crush his tiny skull. Grabbing them, he roughly tore them from their posts. That was a big mistake.

The boy's eyes snapped open, took one look at him, and before Sirius could do anything he screamed:

"AAARRGGHH! NOOO!"

Realizing that he had ruined his one chance, he ran for the dormitory door. He heard another boy wake up and cry out, "What's going on?" He slammed the door quickly and descended the staircase in a run.

Changing back into a dog at mid-run, Sirius tore out of the Gryffindor common room and down the dark corridor—praying that he wouldn't met anyone else. By some miracle he was able to get out of the castle for the second time, but he didn't dare stop running until he was at the safety of the Whomping Willow. Gasping for air, his lungs feeling as if they were about to pop, he turned his head to look behind him. He looked up at the castle and saw that every light was on in Gryffindor tower. And he knew that soon light would be flickering throughout the castle as they did another search for him.

Cursing himself, he slinked back to the forest this time. Feeling safer there than in a place where they might discover him. He sure did it this time. He had ruined everything in his moment of stupidity. He just had to lose his temper again didn't he?

_'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!'_ raged Sirius to himself. _'You had a plan! You were so close! This could've been your once chance to kill the little vermin and you screwed it up again!' _Over and over in his mind he cursed himself, hating himself for doing something so stupid! Not that it mattered anymore. There were no signs of Peter even after he woke the boys up. Well, at least it wasn't a complete lost… at least he knew that Peter was away from Harry at the moment…

Sighing deeply, he rested his head on his paws. His eyes began to drop off once again… yes… at least his godson was away from that monster. For now that was enough. With that one small comfort of having Harry safe; he shut his eyes and dozed off into a deep sleep.

**(Sirius just can't seem to hold onto his temper can he? That's gotten him into enough trouble already. Sorry for taking so long, but I've been busy lately. Hope you liked this short chapter however. Thank you and I'll update again soon hopefully.)**


	16. Face to face

_**Chapter 15: Face-to-face**_

The next few months were almost unbearably boring for Sirius. He hadn't dared try anything after his second disastrous attempt to break into the castle. He felt the need to beat himself up for how stupid he had been. Twice now he broke into the castle, and twice he lost his temper. So now he was forced to spend most of his time wandering the forest at night and most of the day, or the shack when the weather was terrible. It was lucky that as the year went on, the weather had warmed up and became dryer so that he could even sleep outside under the stars again.

Sirius knew that he was walking on thin ice now. He needed to be more careful than ever after that night of stupidity. They were bound to have increased the security around the castle so getting in was sure to be nothing short of impossible. He contented himself to watching the Gryffindors practice on the field. Every time he spotted Harry flying on the broomstick that he, Sirius, gave him—he felt that his face would break from the proud smile.

And once the Quidditch final was won, everything that he went through from escaping Azkaban—to eating rats in the forest had suddenly seemed worth it to have seen this. He didn't dare sit up in the stands in case Harry saw him again, but he was more than happy to watch from the ground and next to the podium and out of sight. He barked loudly every time that they made a score or did something terrible to the Slytherins. He especially liked the Gryffindor Beaters when they stood up to protect their teammates.

But easily the best part was when Harry out-flown them all and caught the Snitch right under Malfoy's nose. He grinned even wider when he saw Dumbledore hand them the cup and the crowd cheer. It was so loud that no one heard a dog barking with joy.

But once they all started to leave the stands, he thought that it would be smart to disappear. Everyone was so focused on the outcome of the game, that no one noticed a large black dog run back to the forest—skipping on every other step.

It had been at least a week since then, and he was still having trouble to stop smiling. _'Oh, if only could've seen him, James,'_ he thought one afternoon, enjoying the sun as he laid out on a patch of dirt and stretched out._ 'He's the Quidditch star that he always said he would be. I think that would've been your proudest moment if you saw it.'_

But he didn't know how much more of this hiding he could take. He wanted to see Harry. Sure, he had _seen _the boy, but he wanted to _talk_ to him… he had also decided that he wanted Harry to move in with him… of course, if Harry _wanted_ to of course and _if_ he ever got his name cleared. Sirius knew that the chances of Harry wanting to live with him, especially if he had been told the part he played in his parent's deaths. But a slim chance was still a chance.

After twelve, almost thirteen years, he couldn't stand the thought of missing anymore than he had. Just to share some part of his godson's life… it would mean the world to him.

Problem was, he had to get Wormtail before he could get even that far. The end of the year was approaching fast, and Sirius knew that if he didn't find Peter soon, he was going to miss his only chance—again. He didn't know how much longer he would've been able to hid on the grounds. Just the thought of spending another winter out here was almost too horrible to even think of. Every night, Sirius would search the grounds—catching every rat he saw. He had the cat search the castle for him, but so far there hadn't been any luck.

He was running short on time very quickly. If he missed it here, then he would never get another chance like this. During the day, he would watch the students walk across the grounds, trying to get through exam week. And just when he was beginning to give up, he finally got his chance. During twilight on the same day that the exams were over… he heard them.

He had been resting—getting ready for what felt like another night of fruitless searching when he heard the sounds of yelling. Curious, he raised his head and looked around—and there they were.

Out of nowhere, the Weasley boy was running after something in the grass; the cat was in front of him trying to catch something… Sirius knew in an instant that it had to be Peter. It had to be! It was Wormtail… he was willing to bet his life on it.

But just as he ran out from his cover of trees towards them, he saw more. Harry and the girl with bushy, brown hair were running after their friend. Harry was holding something fluid and silvery like a sparkling banner and urging his friends to get under it; Sirius pieced together that this must be James's invisibility cloak.

Sirius gritted his teeth. He had to get Wormtail, but the last thing that he wanted was to hurt him.

"Get away from him—get away—Scabbers, come _here—"_ Weasley shouted. They ran into the shade of the Whomping Willow and out of his sight as he ran closer towards them. He then heard, _"Gotcha!_ Get off, you stinking cat—"

"Ron - come on - back under the cloak. Dumbledore - the Minister - they'll be coming back out in a minute -"

Sirius could've sworn that his heart had stopped dead. Dumbledore and the Minister were here? How could they…? Suddenly a horrible thought came to him. Remus… did Remus finally tell them?

Cursing inside his own mind, he ran even faster towards them. He might have to scare them, but he hoped that's all it came to. Harry looked up and saw him when he was only a few feet away. Sirius saw the panic in his green eyes… his hand flew to his pocket to grasp his wand, but Sirius couldn't let that happen.

Sirius growled in warning before he took a running leap and landed painfully on Harry's chest, knocking him to the ground and leaving him winded. _'__I'm sorry!' _he thought, hoping that he understood as he rolled over and gasped for air. Hurting Harry was the one thing he didn't want to do, but he had no other choice.

It was a race against time—he had to get away from here before Dumbledore and Fudge saw him. He turned back to the three of them, and began growling, trying to frighten them into running. He also had to get them away before anything happened—silently praying that they turned and run back to the castle.

But he didn't; Harry got back to his feet, a hand to his chest where his paws had slammed into him. Sirius felt his self-loathing grow from hurting him, but he had a job to do and he was going to do it. He charged again, shoving his godson to the side before they could curse him, and grabbed Weasley by the arm.

Harry lunged at Sirius, grabbing his fur, fighting to help his friend; and as soon as he touched him again Sirius had another flashback of a black-haired baby once grabbing onto his fur to help him stand. Forcing those painful memories don, Sirius kept pulling the struggling boy towards the Willow.

He had to get out of plain sight if he wanted to transform and kill Peter. Sirius easily dodged the whipping branches though Harry and the girl weren't as lucky and were hit hard when the branches swung. The other boy kept trying to claw his way out of his grasp, trying to escape. Sirius dragged him into the shadow of the Willow, but the last thing he saw as they disappeared into darkness down the tunnel were the other two trying to get closer.

Just when Sirius thought the worse was over, the boy had hooked his leg around a root, trying to make one last desperate escape attempt. Sirius pulled, trying to get him to let go; gave a vicious tug, and he heard an enormous crack and the ginger screamed in pain. Sirius wanted to bang his head against a rock until he bled to death for what he was doing, but he would do that later.

He couldn't stop—not now; he was too close. He continued to drag the boy, who was now whimpering, but still trying to grab onto anything he could.

Sirius dragged him down into the darkness, through the passageway and to the Shrieking Shack. This had to be done. He would kill Wormtail, and then leave… Harry knew that his friend was pulled here and were sure to come after him. And Peter Pettigrew was finally going to get what was coming to him. What he was going to do next, he was unsure—but he would worry about that later.

When they got to the shack and up to the bedroom, he finally let go of the boy, who was gripping his leg and moaning in pain. If Harry was anything like James, he would come to rescue his friend. The cat that Sirius had befriended would surely help him through the task of freezing the willow and lead him here. The boy scrambled to go, but he put his front paws on his chest, and he froze in fear. Sirius hesitated, wondering what to do… but then he saw the lump in his pocket, quivering underneath his hand and he made up his mind. He transformed.

And for the first time since that night in the tower, he had retaken his human form and the boy predictably screamed.

"YOU!" he bellowed, trying to get up. "SIRIUS BLACK, WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?"

He reached into his pocket, but Sirius saw this and reached forward before he had been able to wrestle the wand away from him.

"Get away… don't…" Ron murmured, crawling as far as he could away from him. Sirius made to help him, but the boy wouldn't let him touch him again.

"Calm down," said Sirius, and was astonished to hear how awful his voice sounded. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"Oh yeah? Could've fooled me!" snorted the kid as he gripped his leg. "You were fine when you slaughtered all those Muggles before, were you? You didn't have a problem with sneaking into our room and trying to kill me did you?"

Sirius winced and turned away from the kid. "Just don't move if you know what's good for you," Sirius grunted. "You can't run away, anyway on that leg." The kid fell silent, except for the whimpering as he continued to hold onto his leg. But a few minutes later, they heard footsteps and a mewing sound Sirius looked up to see the cat strut into the room and jumped onto the magnificent four-poster bed, beginning to purr.

"I knew all along that you were a rat…" the boy hissed in pain to the cat.

"You might want to be careful who you call a rat," Sirius said, refusing to take his eyes off the door, his ears straining for every sound out there.

"You killed Harry parents!" he cried softly. "And you think that you know what a rat is or not?"

Sirius flinched as if he had been struck. "You haven't heard everything," he growled croakily.

"I _have_," he hissed at him. "So has Harry. We heard everything you did! It's all your fault isn't it?"

So it he did know then. Sirius felt his heart pounding; knowing that this wasn't going to be a heart-filled reunion. He suddenly heard the boards creak below them and knew who it was. He closed the door and waited, knowing what he had to do… and sure enough a few minutes later the door burst open and Harry rushed in, the girl right behind him and they hastened to their friend's side.

"Ron-are you okay?" Harry cried.

"Where's the dog?" the girl cried at the same time as she reached him.

"Not a dog," the boy, Ron, moaned. "Harry, it's a trap ..."

"What…?"

"HE's the dog. He's an ANIMAGUS," he screamed and was staring at Sirius as he spoke and Sirius closed the door with a snap. Revenge was finally going to be his. Harry turned to face him and his green eyes found his.

Sirius grinned, but it felt foreign to him in this form. He felt the unfamiliar wand in his hand and croaked out, "Expelliarmus!" his voice cracking with sudden nerves. Their wands flew into the air and he caught them with his free hand.

He stepped forward, gazed at Harry, taking in every inch of his godson's, longing to just tell him everything, but no words could come to mind. "I thought you'd come and help your friend. Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you, not to run for a teacher." Sirius chuckled slightly, thinking of Peter and how he was still quivering in Ron's pocket. "I'm grateful… it will make everything much easier…"

And then, a look of complete and utter hatred came over Harry's face, and Sirius felt as if a giant icicle had pierced his heart. It hurt Sirius to have him staring at him like that, but Harry didn't know any better… he watched as his hand flexed, as if he wanted his wand. Without warning, Harry started towards him, hatred glinting in his eyes.

His friends grabbed his arms to prevent him from doing something stupid; a roaring filled my ears. The girl, looking horrified, and frightened, whispered, "No, Harry!" He strained against them, but the other boy was the one who spoke to me.

He was back on his feet, he then shouted out ferociously "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!"

_Kill Harry…? _Sirius wanted to shake his head and tell them that he would rather die than hurt him. He felt his whole body freeze and he had a violent flashback to the night he arrived at the Potter's house on that Halloween night… he could almost smell the burning wood, and the sounds of the crying baby…

Sirius was brought back to earth when he saw the color of Ron's face. He looked sick to his stomach. "Lie down," his voice seeming to echo into emptiness. "You'll damage that leg even more."

"Did you hear me?" he cried holding Harry's shoulder tightly to stay up. "You'll have to kill all three of us!"

"There'll be only one murder here tonight," said Sirius, his maniacal grin widening.

"Why's that?" Harry snarled angrily, still straining against his friend's hands. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew… what's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?" The sheer loathing in his voice quelled him and for a moment, he couldn't move.

"Harry! Be quiet!" the girl whimpered, but Harry ignored her.

"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry shouted at the top of his lungs and before he knew what was happening, Harry charged forward. Sirius couldn't raise the wands, nor could he point them at him, because he saw his father inside him, and he wouldn't be able to do anything.

And suddenly Harry was attacking him, one hand holding down Sirius's hand with the three wands and his other was balled up in a fist, punching Sirius ferociously. The two of them fell back, into the wall, hard. Sirius saw stars for a moment, and a blast of sparks flew from the wand towards Harry—but not at him… never _at_ him. Sirius could see in his godson's eyes the urge to kill him, to cause as much pain as possible.

The other two were screaming, Sirius was writhing, trying to push Harry off him, but his godson held his arm tight, punching him, slamming his fist into every part of him again and again. With no other choice, Sirius reached for Harry's throat.

"No. I've waited too long," he said, and to his horror, saw Harry choke, and Sirius prayed for something to happen so he could stop doing this. This was James' boy. This was Harry, for God's sake, and he was hurting him.

Suddenly, the girl's foot swung out of nowhere, and Sirius grunted in pain. The other had thrown himself on his wand hand, Sirius lost grip of the wands and they clattered to the floor. Harry reached for it, but the cat was there, sinking those razor-claws into Harry's arm.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Harry screamed at the cat, which moved, spitting at him and he snatched up his wand. Sirius didn't move from the wall as Harry suddenly yelled at his friends, "Get out of the way!" They did and had to fight their way free and leapt back, while the girl grabbed the other two wands, and Ron crawling onto the bed.

Breathing hard and fast, Sirius laid sprawled on the floor against the wall. Harry walked nearer and nearer, pointing his wand at his heart. Sirius looked up into his face.

"Going to kill me, Harry?" he croaked up at him softly.

Every part of Sirius was aching, but not as much as it stung to see the hatred in Harry's face.

"You killed my parents," his voice shook and Sirius stared at his eyes. "I don't deny it," he admitted ashamedly in barely more than a whisper. What? What else was he supposed to say? But he had to tell him… he'll kill him if Sirius didn't say anything. "But if you knew the whole story."

"The whole story?" Harry repeated his words, a cruel tinge to his voice. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know." Sirius noted the fact that his godson had spoken Voldemort's name, another thing that was just like James.

"You've got to listen to me," he told him urgently, letting it show in his face. "You'll regret it if you don't. You don't understand." Sirius had to tell him—right now, before Harry did try to kill him… but Sirius couldn't let that happen. He didn't want him to become a killer just for him.

"I understand a lot better than you think," Harry's voice was trembling terribly, wavered dangerously now, and tears pricked in his eyes. "You never heard her, did you? My mum… trying to stop Voldemort killing me… and you did that… you did it…"

Sirius felt on the verge of tears as well, suddenly. Harry heard Lily… and it _was_ his fault…

What had he done? How could Harry have heard his mum pleading with Voldemort not to kill him? Before Sirius could answer, or Harry could say anything else, the cat flew by and onto Sirius's chest, crouched low over Sirius's heart. The cat looked at him and he stared back. Not for the first time, Sirius wondered suddenly if he was actually human… but that wasn't important now…

"Get off…" Sirius tried to push the stupid creature off of him. He could handle this on his own but the feline dug his claws into his robes and looked up at Harry. The girl let out a gasping sob but still he wouldn't move.

Harry stared at the two and Sirius saw his knuckles whiten. He raised his wand, and Sirius half expected to see a rush of green light. But nothing happened. The seconds stretched, and Sirius felt his heartbeat quicken as he continued to look into Harry's face. He couldn't do it, could he? He prayed that he couldn't go through it… and not for his sake alone. But the seconds lengthened, and his godson still didn't act.

And then he heard something else… something besides the sounds of heavy breathing and his heartbeat. It was something downstairs… someone moving below them. _'What now?'_ Sirius thought despairingly.

"WE'RE UP HERE! WE'RE UP HERE - SIRIUS BLACK - QUICK!" the girl screamed. Sirius moved, instinct kicking in and telling him to leave. He almost dislodged the cat, but Harry raised his wand even higher, in a threatening way—as if daring him to try to move. Sirius froze as the footsteps, thundered up the stairs. Harry still didn't move, and Sirius felt a strong relief rush through him when he realized that Harry couldn't do it.

The door then burst opened in a shower of red sparks, and the white face of Remus Lupin charged in, looking older than Sirius had ever seen him. Sirius didn't know what to do or say as his oldest friend stood there staring at them all. Sirius had both dreaded and longed for this moment… but why was he…?

Remus's eyes flew around the room, taking in the whole scene; passing over the three students until finally resting upon him. Sirius glanced at Harry, who was looking gasping for air as if he had just run a mile—as he looked at him. Remus then cried out, "Expelliarmus!" and the wands flew to him. He caught them all before he moved to stand across into the room, his eyes still fixed on Sirius…

After a few seconds of stunned silence, he spoke in a very tense voice, his face expressionless as he looked at him. "Where is he, Sirius?" he asked coldly.

Shock poured over Sirius and he couldn't believe his ears. How could Remus know the truth already? That was impossible; Sirius was the only one who knew what Peter did. But hope burned in Sirius's chest as he raised a shaking hand and, never taking his eyes off Remus, pointed right at Ron. Hoping against hope that Remus would understand…

Remus was staring at him in confusion as he looked from him to Ron and back again. "But then…" he muttered and Sirius could practically see the gears turning in his head.

"Why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless…" he stopped dead as he thought over this for a minute. His eyes suddenly widened, and he continued. "Unless _he_ was the one! Unless you switched… without telling me?"

'_Wow,'_ Sirius thought, amazed. Remus had worked it all out just like that? But how did he…? Oh, he didn't care at the moment as he stared at Remus, his eyes holding more emotion than he could describe, trying to tell him everything that he felt, as he slowly nodded.

"Professor," Harry said loudly, not understanding what was going on, of course. "What's going on -" But Remus lowered his wand and was moving towards him, staring into his eyes. He then reached down and seized his claw-like hand and pulled him back to his feet. Sirius hardly noticed when the cat jumped off as he stood and Remus embraced him. Sirius fought the tears as he hugged Remus back as tightly as he could… finally having a friend back on his side after all these years.

Sirius had no clue how this happened, but he was grateful. His last remaining friend believed him. Now they only had to try to make Harry listen.

**(Yay! Remus and Sirius are friends again after all this time. Sorry for such the long wait, but I've been busy lately with finals and all my other stories. I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. I hope to update again soon.)**


	17. Blast from the Past

_**Chapter 16: Blast from the Past**_

Suddenly, someone screamed.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" it had been the girl who screamed, interrupting them and they pulled apart to stare at her. Sirius stiffened as he turned look at her and Remus let go of him. The girl was standing there and pointing a shaking had at Remus—her eyes half-wild with disbelief, "You-you…"

"Hermione…" Remus started to explain but she went on in a hysterical voice.

"You and him!"

Remus tried to reason with her, "Hermione, calm down…"

"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione shrieked. "I've been covering up for you…!"

'_What on Earth was she talking about?'_ Sirius thought with a glance at Remus. Covering up? Was she talking about Remus's condition?

"Hermione, listen to me, please!" Remus shouted quickly. "I can explain…"

At that moment, Harry started yelling, so angry that his voice was shaking. "I trusted you! And all the time, you've been his friend!"

"You're wrong," Remus told them quietly. Sirius winced slightly to hear those words from Remus's mouth, but he told himself that it was over. Remus knew the truth now… if only…

"I haven't been Sirius' friend, but I am now. Please let me explain."

"NO!" Hermione howled and turned to the boys. "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too- HE's A WEREWOLF!"

There was a painful silence. Sirius looked at Remus too, dragging his eyes away from the lump in Ron's pocket. Remus looked white, and Sirius felt anger boil within him.

"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione," said Remus in his calm manner; just like the Remus Sirius remembered. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead…" Remus continued. A shiver passed over his face. Sirius looked over at Harry quickly, wondering what his godson was going to do. At the moment all he did was just stare at Remus in amazement… "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf," Remus finished sadly.

The boy Ron suddenly tried to get up, and Sirius felt a fresh surge of guilt and anger at himself for doing this. Ron fell back onto the bed with a whimper of pain and Remus started forward, an expression of worry. But the second that he got to close, Ron shouted, "Get away from me, werewolf!"

What was the matter with these people? They'd known him for an entire year and now that they knew about a condition that he couldn't control, they turned against him! Even with Remus's back to him, Sirius knew that this was particularly painful for him. He knew that Remus had hoped that they would be accepting towards him.

Remus then turned, a pained expression coming over his face, towards Hermione, who was still shaking. "How long have you known?" he asked her.

Sirius's mind wandered for a moment as the two of them talked, Sirius's whole attention on the pocket where Ron was keeping the rat. This was his fault and he knew it. But being back here in the Shrieking shack with Remus… and with Harry…

Remus forced a dark laugh that broke his concentration for a moment. "You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione."

"I'm not," Hermione whispered. "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!" At that comment he felt anger boiling in the pit of his stomach. Just because Remus turned into a wolf 12 times out of the year didn't mean that he was a monster!

"But they already know," said Remus, unperturbed. "At least, the staff do."

"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf?" Ron breathed. "Is he mad?"

"Some of the staff thought so," said Remus turning back to him. "He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy…"

"AND HE WAS WRONG!" Harry shouted loudly and pointed a finger at Sirius. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!"

Sirius suddenly felt weak at the knees and he staggered over to the bed and sank onto it, the cat jumped up next to him and offered him some comfort. Sirius's hand reached out and petted his fluffy head as Ron backed away from them both.

"I have NOT been helping Sirius," Remus said firmly, sounding exasperated that they weren't listening. "If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look…" he then threw the wands he had back to their respective owners before he tucked his own back into his pocket. "There. You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?"

The three of them just stared at him as if he was speaking Latin. "If you haven't been helping him," said Harry slowly and suspiciously, "how did you know he was here?"

"The map. The Marauder's Map," answered Remus, causing Sirius to look up in shock. The map? _The Marauder's Map_? But how? He had thought that it was lost… the last time Sirius had seen it was back in their seventh year. "I was in my office examining it…"

"You know how to work it?" Harry cut in disbelievingly.

"Of course I know how to work it," said Remus, waving his hand impatiently. "I helped write it. I'm Moony-that was my friends' nickname for me at school."

The corners of Sirius's mouth twitched upwards slightly.

"You wrote…?"

"The important thing is," Remus interrupted the question and went on in a hurry, "I was watching it carefully this evening, because I had an idea that you, Ron, and Hermione might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his hippogriff was executed."

Executed hippogriff? What on earth was he talking about? Hagrid had a thing for dangerous pets but what was so bad about a hippogriff?

"And I was right, wasn't I?" Remus said as he started to pace up and down the room. Something that he only did when he was anxious or thinking hard. "You might have been wearing your father's old cloak, Harry…" he went on.

"How do you know about the cloak?" Harry asked him startled.

"The number of times I saw James disappearing under it…" Remus waved an impatient hand again. "The point is, even if you're wearing an Invisibility Cloak, you still show up on the Marauder's Map."

Something that Sirius was grateful for. If Remus hadn't been watching the map, then who knows what would've happened. He looked over at Harry—wondering again if his godson had had it in him to kill. He shuddered, hoping not.

"I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set off back toward the castle. But you were now accompanied by somebody else."

'_Ah,'_ thought Sirius. So _that's_ how he knew about Peter. Even in their Animagus forms, the map had still shown their real names.

"What?" said Harry shocked. "No, we weren't!"

'_Yes, you were, Harry,'_ Sirius thought. _'You have no idea just how much danger you are in. It's my fault… you were too young to possibly remember what Wormtail could do. You couldn't have known…'_

"I couldn't believe my eyes," Remus continued as though Harry hadn't said anything. "I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could _he_ be with you?"

"No one was with us," Harry said again, now looking thoroughly confused.

'_Oh, yes,'_ Sirius thought with bitterness, his eyes never leaving the lump inside Ron's pocket.

Remus then went on, "And then I saw another dot, moving fast toward you, labeled _Sirius Black_… I saw him collide with you; I watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow…"

"One of us!" Ron spoke up furiously and Sirius flinched horribly.

"No, Ron. Two of you… Do you think I could have a look at the rat?" he asked, stopping his pacing and was looking at him hard.

"What?" said Ron completely bewildered. "What's Scabbers got to do with it?"

"Everything," said Remus grimly. "Could I see him, please?"

Ron hesitated, but eventually retrieved Pettigrew from his pocket. The rat was thrashing violently in his grasp, trying to escape. Ferocious anger boiled inside Sirius as both he and Remus stared at him. "What?" said Ron, sounding scared and holding the disgusting creature close to him. "What's my rat got to do with anything?"

"That's not a rat," he croaked out, speaking at last.

Ron stared at him. "What do you mean-of course he's a rat…"

"No, he's not," said Remus softly, and Sirius felt his heart soar at the idea that his friend believes him. "He's a wizard."

"An Animagus," said Sirius firmly, "by the name of Peter Pettigrew."

And he was going to kill him… Sirius was going to avenge Lily and James tonight. He had Peter right where he wanted him, and he and Remus would make him tell the truth, no matter what. The three of them were looking at him and Remus like they were insane. "You're both mental," said Ron, confirming their looks.

"Ridiculous!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Peter Pettigrew's DEAD!" declared Harry furiously. "HE killed him twelve years ago!" He pointed at Sirius, whose face grew red with fury and began to twitch. He flexed his fingers… he was going to do it now. He had to kill Wormtail before he had a chance to escape.

"I meant to," he snarled, "but little Peter got the better of me… not this time, though!" And he lunged at Peter, not caring that the cat had been thrown to the floor, not caring that Ron was yelling in pain as he hit his broken leg.

"Sirius, NO!" Remus yelled, leaping forward and grabbing his arms from behind. Sirius had almost grabbed the rat, but Remus just pulled him back. Sirius fought at him, but his human form was just too weak to throw him off. "WAIT - you can't do it just like that! They need to understand - we've got to explain -" He had twisted Sirius around so that he could see his eyes, but at the moment, Sirius couldn't care less. He wanted revenge against that rat for ruining his life.

"We can explain afterwards!" snarled Sirius, trying to throw Remus off and get at Peter again. His anger was boiling over; and the urge to kill him was overpowering everything else. He'd been waiting for this for twelve years in his dark, dank cell of Azkaban. He didn't want to be forced to wait any longer.

"They've-got-a-right-to-know-everything!" Remus panted, still holding onto him and keeping him from running at Ron again. "Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don't understand! And Harry-you owe Harry the truth, Sirius!"

Sirius stopped dead. He had said it… the one thing that he could've said to cause his tirade to stop him. He stopped struggling against him… wanting nothing more than to look at his godson, but couldn't bear the idea of seeing his expression.

"All right, then," scowled Sirius, who stopped struggling, but his haunted gray eyes were still fixed on Peter. He knew Harry had to know everything; that was the only thing that stopped him from tackling Remus and crushing the rat's skull. "Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for…"

"You're nutters," said Ron shakily. "I've had enough of this. I'm off."

He tried to get up, but Remus pointed his wand at Peter and said, "You're going to hear me out, Ron. Just keep a tight hold on Peter while you listen."

"HE'S NOT PETER, HE'S SCABBERS!" Ron shouted before he swayed and overbalanced on his injuried leg. Harry got there in time and caught him before he hit the floor. He pushed Ron back onto the bed before he turned only to Remus and said in a cold voice, "There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die. A whole street full of them…"

"They didn't see what they thought they saw!" said Sirius viciously.

"Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter," Remus went on firmly. "I believed it myself-until I saw the map tonight. Because the Marauder's map never lies… Peter's alive. Ron's holding him, Harry."

Sirius watched Harry's eyes meet Ron's, and he saw them exchange a silent thought. His heart ripped at this, remembering how he once shared a similar friendship with James. That they knew each other's minds so well that they knew what the other was thinking… Sirius thought one thing and James said it, James started a sentence and Sirius would finish it…

That was how close they once were.

Hermione then said in a small, would-be calm voice as if she thought that Remus was mad and was trying to talk some sense into him, "But Professor Lupin… Scabbers can't be Pettigrew… it just can't be true, you know it can't… "

"Why can't it be true?" asked Remus calmly and Sirius fought the urge to laugh as he kept his eyes only on Peter, ready to strike if the rat tried to run. That was so typical of Remus…

"Because… because people would KNOW if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall."

Ah, so McGonagall was still there? God, did he miss her. While he never would've admitted it, she had been his favorite teacher here. "And I looked them up when I did my homework-the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register showing what animal they become, and their markings and things… and I went and looked Professor McGonagall up on the register, and there have been only seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list…" explained Hermione.

'_God… a female Remus…'_ Sirius thought to himself, he would've laughed if the situation hadn't been so serious.

Remus started to laugh. "Right again, Hermione!" he chuckled. "But the Ministry never knew that there used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."

Knowing that this was going to take awhile, Sirius barked, still glowering evilly at Wormtail, "If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus. I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer."

"All right…" Remus said to him. "But you'll need to help me, Sirius. I only know how it began…"

But at that moment, the door creaked open of its own free will, and all the occupants of the room stared at it. Sirius's eyes narrowed, readying himself for a fight, but Remus walked to the landing and looked out. "No one there…" he told them.

Sirius felt relieved; the last thing that he wanted was for anyone else to show up.

"This place is haunted!" blurted Ron, making Sirius almost want to laugh as he turned back to watch Wormtail squirm… good… make him afraid.

"It's not," argued Remus, his back to them all as he continued to look out the door. "The Shrieking Shack was never haunted… The screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me. That's where all of this starts-with my becoming a werewolf. None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitten… and if I hadn't been so foolhardy…"

Sirius's hatred faded for a moment at the defeated, self-loathing tone in his friend's voice. He was always the first one to blame himself…

Ron started to say something, but Hermione said, "Shh!"

And so Remus began to tell them everything. How he had been bitten when he was a little boy and how he had no control over his own body during the full moon… but Sirius brightened when he learned of the potion that helped Remus to have some control over himself. While it wasn't a cure, it was better than it had been.

He then went on to explain his fears how he wouldn't be allowed to go to school because of his 'furry little problem,' but Dumbledore had found a way. He talked about the Whomping Willow, the use of this house and his transformations.

He then went on about how he met the other Marauders and how they had excepted him when no one else had…

Sirius smiled sadly at that. The story then went on to explain how the four of them had worked hard to find a way to help Remus and became Animagi.

"My dad, too?" asked Harry in a shocked tone.

'_You kidding?'_ Sirius thought to himself smugly. _'He was the first one to manage it!'_

"Yes, indeed," answered Remus. "It took them the best part of three years to work out how to do it. Your father and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong – one reason the Ministry keeps a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could get from James and Sirius."

Sirius gritted his teeth. Why they ever became friends with that rat he'll never know. It should've been obvious from the start how he would turn out! A pathetic coward! "Finally, in our fifth year, they managed it. They could each turn into a different animal at will."

"But how did that help you?" questioned Hermione, confused.

"They couldn't keep me company as humans, so they kept me company as animals," said Remus, his voice full of guilt. Sirius smirked. Remus didn't even know what they were planning until they mastered it. Don't see why he felt the need to blame himself for their choices.

Remus began to talk about how they would sneak out of the castle and join them during the full moon. But by this point, Sirius was getting tired of the talking and said, "Hurry up, Remus."

"I'm getting there, Sirius, I'm getting there…" Remus assured him. He then turned back to the trio and said, "Well, highly exciting possibilities were open to us now that we could all transform. Soon we were leaving the Shrieking Shack and roaming the school grounds and the village by night. Sirius and James transformed into such large animals, they were able to keep a werewolf in check."

Just barely. Sirius remembered how Moony had attacked them the first night that they joined him. But he told himself that any pain he felt would be worth it if it helped Moony.

"I doubt whether any Hogwarts students ever found out more about the Hogwarts grounds and Hogsmeade than we did… And that's how we came to write the Marauder's Map, and sign it with our nicknames. Sirius is Padfoot. Peter is Wormtail. James was Prongs."

_Was_… that word struck a cord somewhere inside him. Never again would the four of them share the good times.

"What sort of animal…" Harry started, but Hermione cut him off.

"That was still really dangerous! Running around in the dark with a werewolf! What if you'd given the others the slip, and bitten somebody?" she demanded in a high-pitched voice.

Remus told them about how they were young and weren't thinking about the coincidences. Remus then sighed, his voice filled with self-disgust as he said, "All this year, I have been battling with myself, wondering whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I didn't do it."

Relief… that was something that Sirius would truly be grateful for. Whether or not Remus knew it, it had probably saved him.

"Why? Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting that I'd betrayed his trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led others along with me… and Dumbledore's trust has meant everything to me. He let me into Hogwarts as a boy, and he gave me a job when I have been shunned all my adult life, unable to find paid work because of what I am. And so I convinced myself that Sirius was getting into the school using dark arts he learned from Voldemort, that being an Animagus had nothing to do with it…"

Sirius felt as if he had just been slapped awake. This year had to have been very painful for him as well. "So, in a way, Snape's been right about me all along."

"Snape?" Sirius repeated angrily. "What's Snape got to do with it?" Just thinking of the greasy-haired made him angry.

"He's here, Sirius," said Remus quietly. "He's teaching here as well."

Sirius couldn't believe that he was hearing this. That bastard was teaching students? What was Dumbledore thinking?

Remus looked at the trio of children. "Professor Snape was at school with us. He fought very hard against my appointment to the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He has been telling Dumbledore all year that I am not to be trusted. He has his reasons… you see, Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick which involved me…"

"It served him right," snarled Sirius. While he had been sorry for the prank, his anger was overruling everything else. He was sorry that he had put Remus and James into such danger that night… but he wasn't thinking about that at the moment. "Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to… hoping he could get us expelled…"

"Severus was very interested in where I went every month," Remus explained. "We were in the same year, you know, and we-er-didn't like each other very much. He especially disliked James. Jealous, I think, of James's talent on the Quidditch field…"

Sirius and Remus shared a quick look—knowing that it was far more than about Quidditch. "Anyway Snape had seen me crossing the grounds with Madam Pomfrey one evening as she led me toward the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius thought it would be-er-amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree trunk with a long stick, and he'd be able to get in after me."

Sirius felt that familiar pang of guilt again. But he honestly didn't think that the idiot would try it! He had only been hoping to scare him into leaving Remus alone. That git hadn't listened to a word he said since the day they met on the train, who knew that one time that Sirius didn't want him to take him seriously, Snape would be dumb enough to listen?

"Well, of course, Snape tried it-if he'd got as far as this house, he'd have met a fully grown werewolf –but your father, who'd heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back, at great risk to his life… Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden by Dumbledore to tell anybody, but from that time on he knew what I was…"

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you?" said Harry slowly. "Because he thought you were in on the joke?"

"That's right," snarled a cold voice from the wall behind Remus. Severus Snape pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, his wand directly at them. Sirius felt his rage grow, an urge to tear the greasy git apart.

**(Just when it was getting good Snape interrupts. Sorry for the long wait, however, Fanfiction is being real prejudiced lately and has been deleting stories! Three of my 'Discovering the Legend' stories have been taken down. But for those of you who are fans, don't worry, I'm reposting them on another site. A lot of other authors are finding refuge at this site as well… it's at **** . **** and is under my name, rosedragonwitch, on the home page. Hope this helps for those of you who have been asking me the site.)**


	18. The Truth At Last

_**Chapter 17: The Truth At Last**_

It was as if an electric shock went through his body, his heart feeling like it was about to burst from his chest, Sirius leapt to his feet—ready for a fight. So he really _was_ here! How could this be happening? He was so close to getting them all to listen and understand who it was who was truly responsible… and like always that greasy-haired had to show his face and ruin everything!

Staring long and hard at Snape, he looked just like he did back at school. With that long and greasy black hair, hooked nose, and greedy expression… just like an overgrown bat. Seeing his face again, hatred similar to that of Peter rose up inside him just by looking at him.

He knew that this bastard was probably happy when he heard that James was dead. Someone who once served Voldemort was here teaching students? What was going through Dumbledore's mind when he allowed that to happen?

Snape held up the Invisibility Cloak and said silkily, not taking his eyes off him, "I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow. Very useful, Potter. I thank you."

He smiled darkly at Sirius and said softly, his evil black eyes glittering with victory, "Perhaps you're wondering how I knew you were here?" He took a step forward, his wand pointing straight at his heart. "I've just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along."

Sirius didn't know what on earth he was talking about, but that wasn't the important thing right now, he had to deal with Snape or else all these months of effort would be for nothing. "And very lucky I did… lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map. One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight."

"Severus…" Remus started, but Snape refused to let him speak.

"I've told the headmaster again and again that you're helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin," he went on loudly, a mad glint now shining malevolently in his eyes. "And here's the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout…"

Remus tried again to explained, "Severus, you're making a mistake. You haven't heard everything- I can explain-Sirius is not here to kill Harry…"

Sirius honestly didn't know why Remus bothered trying. He never listened—the guy has a block of wood for a brain after all so he can't grasp anything too complicated for him. Instead Snape started to gloat as if he just won a fabulous prize. "Two more for Azkaban tonight. I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this… He was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin… a tame werewolf…"

Sirius's eyes narrowed in hatred. He couldn't honestly still be blaming Remus for that stunt over two decades ago was he?

"You fool," said Remus softly, without a sign of fear. "Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?"

BANG! Thin, snakelike cords twisted themselves around Remus's mouth, wrists, and ankles. He fell to the ground, and with a roar of fury, Sirius started towards Snape—wanting nothing more than to rip his throat out, but Snape simply raised his wand and pointed it at his face.

"Give me a reason," he whispered. "Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will."

Sirius stopped where he was, glaring with as much hatred as he could muster. He knew that Snape wasn't bluffing this time… he could see it from the madness in his own ugly face. He had to be cautious… Snape had a wand, he didn't. And if he wasn't careful, Harry, Remus or the other two kids could end up seriously hurt in the crossfire.

The three of them were just looking at the two of them in shock, looking from him to Snape and back again—and Sirius knew that they were unsure of what to do. Suddenly gripping her courage, Hermione took a tentative step forward and said in a scared tone, "Professor Snape-it-it wouldn't hurt to hear what they've got to say, w-would it?"

Snape didn't seem to care what she said anymore and merely spat, "Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school. You, Potter, and Weasley are out-of-bounds, in the company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once in your life, HOLD YOUR TONGUE."

Looking terrified, but still going on, she stammered, "But if-if there was a mistake…"

He had to hand it to her; anyone who could face Snape like this has nerves of steel. Almost remind him of Professor McGonagall… suddenly Snape started to roar at her, looking half mad, "KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL! DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

A few sparks shot out of the end of his wand, and Hermione went silent, moving back to stand closer to her friends. Once he saw that she wasn't going to say anymore, Snape turned his whole attention back to him. "Vengeance is very sweet," he purred at Sirius. "How I hoped I would be the one to catch you."

So he really was still angry about how they treated him at school. Talk about holding a grudge! Just get over it already! But he still had one little bit of comfort…

"The joke's on you again, Severus," Sirius sneered back. "As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle…" he jerked his head at Ron, never taking his eyes off Snape's wand, "I'll come quietly."

Snape just smiled wickedly and hissed, "Up to the castle?" he started to chuckle darkly, "I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black… pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay…"

Sirius felt himself go cold at the thought of the dementors. No, he swore that he would never be near those things ever again! He wasn't going to lose his soul because of a greasy-haired git! Not after all this! "You-you've got to hear me out," he croaked, trying to get Snape to see reason. "The rat-look at the rat…"

"Come on, all of you," Snape barked at the students as the cords wrapped themselves around Remus's bonds now as well. "I'll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the dementors will have a kiss for him too…"

Fury once again filled up inside him. There was no chance in hell that he would let that happen to Remus… he'd been through enough! But before he could do something desperate, Harry rushed pasted them and blocked the door. Snape glared darkly at him and yelled, "Get out of the way, Potter, you're in enough trouble already. If I hadn't been here to save your skin…"

"Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year," Harry said quickly. "I've been alone with him loads of times, having defense lessons against the dementors. If he was helping Black, why didn't he just finish me off then?"

"Don't ask me to fathom the way a werewolf's mind works," hissed Snape, through gritted teeth, "Get out of the way, Potter."

"YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Harry suddenly shouted. "JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN…"

Sirius could feel himself welling up with pride—that sounded something that James and Lily would've said.

"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!" Snape screamed, looking like he would've liked nothing more than to curse the boy. "Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee! You would have been well served if he'd killed you!"

Sirius felt anger beginning to overflow again. To just tell a kid that you deserved to die? Just how bitter was this guy?

"You'd have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black-now get out of the way, or I will MAKE YOU," he threatened at last. "GET OUT OF THE WAY, POTTER!"

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shrieked, suddenly pointing his wand wildly at Snape. The blast rattled the door on its hinges, and Snape's wand soared in a high arc and landed on the bed beside the cat—but that was the least of Snape's problems because he also was blasted into the air, slammed into the ceiling and slid to the floor and lay beside the wall, a trickle of blood oozing from his head. He had been knocked unconscious.

Harry stared at what he did and Sirius glanced behind him to see that it hadn't just been Harry. Ron and Hermione were there with their wands outstretched as well.

Sirius felt a stab of vicious pride toward the three youths, only regretting that he hadn't been the one to do it. He looked over at Harry and he could see his godson's eyes narrowing again in distrust. It was too much to hope that Harry suddenly believed him. "You shouldn't have done that," he croaked at him, "You should have left him to me."

Harry didn't answer him and simply turned away, and Sirius felt as if his heart was being squeezed again. Hermione then walked forward and stared at Snape with terrified eyes. "We attacked a teacher," she moaned. "We attacked a teacher… Oh, we're going to be in so much trouble…" she whimpered.

Not if Sirius had anything to say to that. But before he could think of something to tell her, Remus began to struggle against his bonds and he quickly bent down and untied him. He pulled Remus back to his feet as he began to rub his wrists where the ropes had cut into his skin. He looked up at Harry and said gratefully, "Thank you, Harry."

"I'm still not saying I believe you," Harry responded coldly.

"Then it's time we offered you some proof," declared Remus firmly and Sirius felt that something was finally going right for him. "You, boy-give me Peter, please. Now."

"Come off it," blustered Ron, clutching Peter even closer to him and looking around at his friends for help, "Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on SCABBERS? I mean…" but when Harry and Hermione didn't say anything—looking as lost as he did—Ron demanded, "Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat—there are millions of rats—how's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"

Sirius had been dreading that question and Remus then turned to him with a frown on his face. "You know, Sirius, that's a fair question. How DID you find out where he was?"

Taking a deep breath, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled newspaper article he'd been carrying around since the day it was handed to him in Azkaban. He smoothed it out and held it out for them to see… the same picture where Peter was hiding in plain sight.

Remus started at in and gasped out, "How did you get this?"

"Fudge," answered Sirius, looking at Harry's stunned expression. "When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page… on this boy's shoulder. I knew him at once… how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts… to where Harry was…"

Harry stared at him and Remus said so quietly that it was hardly more than a whisper, "My God," he looked from the picture of Peter to the real one in the room, "His front paw…"

"What about it?" Ron demanded.

"He's got a toe missing," declared Sirius, hoping that Ron would start to put things together.

"Of course," breathed Remus with an air of wonder. "So simple… so BRILLIANT… he cut it off himself?"

"Just before he transformed," Sirius confirmed, eager to reveal what really happened that day. "When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself-and sped down into the sewer with the other rats…"

'_Where he belonged,'_ he added in an afterthought.

"Didn't you ever hear, Ron?" Remus asked Ron quietly. "The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger."

But Ron wasn't going to give in that easily. "Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages, right…"

'_For twelve years,'_ Sirius thought. _'A ridiculously long time for a common garden rat don't you think?'_

"Twelve years, in fact," said Remus. "Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?"

"We-we've been taking good care of him!" blustered Ron, making Sirius want to laugh. Really, how thick can you get? And Ron thought that he was the _mad_ one?

"Not looking too good at the moment, though, is he?" asked Remus. "I'd guess he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again."

And that was what he loved about Remus. He knew how to ask the important questions… that got them out of trouble more than once in school and it was helping him out again.

"He's been scared of that mad cat!" shouted Ron, pointing at the cat. Sirius glanced once more at Harry, and was thrilled to see the thoughtful look on his face as if thinking it all over.

He then turned back to Ron's question and began to stroke the cat's head, "This cat isn't mad," he told them all and they all had their attention back onto him. "He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognized Peter for what he was right away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog."

How he did was something that Sirius was still trying to figure out. "It was a while before he trusted me. Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me."

"What do you mean?" breathed Hermione.

"He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't… so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor Tower for me," Sirius explained and they all shared startled looks with each other. Sirius then went on, "As I understand it, he took them from a boy's bedside table. But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it. This cat- Crookshanks, did you call him?"

It was nice to finally know the name of the cat that had helped him so much, "told me Peter had left blood on the sheets. I supposed he bit himself. Well, faking his own death had worked once…"

"And why did he fake his death?" Harry demanded angrily. "Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!"

Sirius sighed; this was just not working. He thought Harry was starting to understand, but apparently they needed some hard proof before his dearest wish could be fulfilled.

"No," Remus said to Harry. "Harry…"

"And now you've come to finish him off!" his godson suddenly yelled.

"Yes, I have," said Sirius, looking at Peter evilly.

"Then I should've let Snape take you!" Harry shouted furiously, looking like he was ready to attack him again, thankfully, Remus once again came to his rescue.

"Harry," said Remus hurriedly, "don't you see? All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down -but it was the other way around, don't you see? PETER betrayed your mother and father-Sirius tracked PETER down…"

But Harry was refusing to listen. He screamed, pointed a shaking hand at Sirius, "THAT'S NOT TRUE! HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP. HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"

At those words, Sirius felt the pain he felt that night at Godric's Hallow erupt once again and he had to fight the tears… every word feeling as though they were a cold blade in his chest. But he had to tell Harry what he meant…

"Harry," he pleaded for him to listen hoarsely, "I as good as killed them." Harry glared back at him and Sirius went on to explain, "I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me. I'm to blame, I know it. The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents' house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies… I realized what Peter must've done… what I'd done…"

His voice broke, and he turned away so he could hide the tears that were beginning to fall. Once again, he could see that night playing itself over in his head… James lying underneath the rubble and Lily, there in the bedroom, with her eyes staring ahead of her… as empty as a doll.

And to top it all off, Hagrid taking that little baby boy from him… the promise that he made but couldn't keep… _"Don't worry, Harry. Everything will be fine, and I'm sure I'll see you again. Hagrid will take care of you. Be good for him ok?" _

He couldn't keep it… he promised that he would see him again soon… but now look at what his actions had done? It cost him those twelve years.

"Enough of this," Remus's voice said loudly, bringing Sirius back to the matter at hand. "There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, GIVE ME THAT RAT."

"What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?" Ron asked in a scared tone, as if afraid of what Remus would do if he didn't give him the rat.

"Force him to show himself," answered Remus firmly. "If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him."

Taking several breaths of air, and once he was sure his eyes were dry, he turned back to them all. He looked in time to finally see Ron handing Peter over to Remus. Finally, here was his chance…

He walked over to stand next to Remus who asked him, "Ready, Sirius?"

That was a stupid question. He had been waiting for this moment since he was locked away. But instead he just croaked out softly, "Together?"

"I think so," said Remus nodding. "On the count of three. One-two-THREE!"

Together, the two of them raise the wands, and the burst of blue-white light erupted and it the rat. Peter's rat form twisted in midair, and as Ron screamed, the rat hit the floor and…

He changed back into the human that they knew and loathed.

Sirius and Remus watched as their old school friend was forced to take the form that he abandoned over a decade ago… but a form that was no different to the one he'd spent half his life living as.

Seeing him like this, loathing that Sirius now felt for this man was uncontrollable; this little coward had completely ruined his life in just one day. Twelve years in hell for this coward's acts. He was practically foaming at the mouth for his chance to rip out his heart… or what was left of it anyway…

"Well, hello, Peter," said Remus in a friendly tone, but he could see the anger in Remus's eyes shining as they stared down at the coward. "Long time, no see."

Wormtail stared up at the two of them in terror. He then squeaked out, "S-Sirius… R-Remus… my friends… my old friends…"

Hearing him use the word _friends_ was too much for him; Sirius raised his wand, wanting to kill him here and now, but Remus seized his arm and gave him a warning look. Turning back to Peter, he continued as if nothing happened, "We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed…"

"Remus," Wormtail shouted out quickly, groveling on his hands and knees as he began to sweat, "you don't believe him, do you? He tried to kill me, Remus."

The important word here was _tried_. And if Sirius had his way, he would've done the world a favor years ago.

"So we've heard," said Remus cold as ice. "I'd like to clear up one or two little matters with you, Peter, if you'd be so…"

However, Wormtail wasn't going to let that happen. He crawled backwards and pointed at Sirius, "He's come to try and kill me again! He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me too. You've got to help me, Remus."

Sirius's livid expression kept the coward from moving anywhere as Remus said, "No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out."

"Sorted things out?" Wormtail shouted, staring around the room, looking for a way to escape. Sirius used this chance to look over at the trio—who were staring at Wormtail with their mouths opened in shock; especially Ron, who looked as if he had been hit in the face with a heavy object.

'_Hopefully, now they'll believe me,'_ he thought as Wormtail shouted out, "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!"

He fought the need to laugh, and Remus must've felt the same way because he said in a way of false confusion, "You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban? When nobody has ever done it before?"

"He's got dark powers the rest of us can only dream of!" he shouted. Really? Was this the best that Peter could do? "How else did he get out of there? I suppose He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taught him a few tricks!"

Voldemort taught _him_ something? That was finally it for Sirius and he couldn't hide his laugh… the same horrible, crazed laugh he did that day they caught him. "Voldemort, teach me tricks?" he snorted and you would think that he had used a whip on Wormtail from how he flinched. "What, scared to hear your old master's name? I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"

"Don't know what you mean, Sirius…" Wormtail stuttered, but his eyes were wide with panic.

"You haven't been hiding from ME for twelve years," Sirius snarled, "You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter. They all think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them. I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep."

He fought hard against those terrible memories, "Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information… and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways. If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter…"

They would want him dead as badly as he did. And Wormtail knew this… he could tell that much from the petrified look on his face.

"Don't know… what you're talking about…" he stammered, wiping the sweat with his sleeve and looked up pleadingly at Remus. "You don't believe this-this madness, Remus…"

Remus cocked his head and stared at him for a moment. "I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat," he answered evenly.

"Innocent, but scared!" shrieked Wormtail, hoping against hope that Remus would believe him. "If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban-the spy, Sirius Black!"

That hit a nerve. "How dare you," Sirius snarled with as much venom as he could muster, as his face contorted with rage. "I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter-I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be us… me and Remus… and James…"

Something that he still wondered to this day; how couldn't he have seen this coming? The signs were always there but he had been too blind to see it!

Peter wiped his face again, almost gasping for breath. "Me, a spy… must be out of your mind… never… don't know how you can say such a…"

"Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it," Sirius hissed, so venomously that it made Wormtail shut his mouth. "I thought it was the perfect plan… a bluff. Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you. It must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters."

His hands twitched, longing to place them around Wormtail's throat… he was so angry, he couldn't make out anything that Peter was saying, now that he cared anymore. There was only so much more that he could take and his patience was already at its breaking point.

"Professor Lupin?" Hermione said unexpectedly, taking a valiant step forward. "Can-can I say something?"

"Certainly, Hermione," Remus answered her pleasantly.

"Well-Scabbers-I mean, this-this man- he's been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years. If he's working for You-Know-Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?" she asked this question very quickly, as if speaking was causing her all the courage she had.

"There!" shrieked Wormtail at once, gasping at her question like a drowning man to a lifeline. "Thank you! You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair of Harry's head! Why should I?"

Oh, he did _try_… he was the one who sent Voldemort after him and Lily and James after all!

"I'll tell you why," he growled at him. "Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort's been in hiding for fifteen years, they say he's half dead. You weren't about to commit murder right under Albus Dumbledore's nose, for a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all of his power, were you?"

He knew how cowards played… they never take on anyone without having some protection behind them. "You'd want to be quite sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, wouldn't you? Why else did you find a wizard family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for news, weren't you, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him."

He couldn't help but feel pride for himself at the stunned expression on Wormtail's face, but that didn't last long because Hermione asked another question.

"Er-Mr. Black-Sirius?" she asked timidly. Sirius jumped and stared at her; no one had called him Mr. Black since he had been in school… something he always hated because it made him think of his good-for-nothing-father. "If you don't mind me asking, how-how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use Dark Magic?" Hermione asked him softly.

"Thank you!" gasped Wormtail again, shooting her a grateful look. "Exactly! Precisely what I…" But Remus stopped him with a fierce look.

Sirius stared at her, trying to put into words what had happened.

"I don't know how I did it," he began slowly. "I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the dementors couldn't suck it out of me… but it kept me sane and knowing who I am… helped me keep my powers… so when it all became… too much… I could transform in my cell… become a dog. Dementors can't see, you know."

He swallowed hard, as the memories of the cold and darkness came rushing back to him—making him feel as if he was about to be sick. "They feel their way toward people by feeding off their emotions. They could tell that my feelings were less-less human, less complex when I was a dog… but they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind like everyone else in there, so it didn't trouble them. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand…

By this point his eyes turned to Harry and he said directly to him, "But then I saw Peter in that picture… I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry… perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again."

Once he saw that picture, he realized that he still had someone to protect. He might not have seen Harry for all those years, but he knew that this was still his duty to try and keep him safe. He was the one person who knew the truth… no one else was aware of how much danger that the boy was in.

"… ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies… and to deliver the last Potter to them. If he gave them Harry, who'd dare say he'd betrayed Lord Voldemort? He'd be welcomed back with honors.

So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive."

He thought hard to try and figure out how to put those strong feelings into words… to explain how he did what he did. "It was as if someone had lit a fire in my head, and the dementors couldn't destroy it. It wasn't a happy feeling… it was an obsession… but it gave me strength, it cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog. It's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused. I was thin, very thin… thin enough to slip through the bars."

Memories of escaping… the warm wonderful feeling of being free came flooding back, giving him strength and enabled him to keep talking, "I swam as a dog back to the mainland. I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I've been living in the forest ever since, except when I came to watch the Quidditch, of course. You fly as well as your father did, Harry…"

His full attention was on Harry's suspicious eyes and he croaked out pleadingly, "Believe me…" hoping, praying that Harry would listen, "Believe me, Harry. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them."

For a second, Harry did nothing. Then, very slowly, the suspicion and anger in his green eyes faded… and he nodded. At that, he felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. And he knew that all this madness had indeed been worth it all. Everything he went through had been worth it just to have his godson realize that he hadn't been the traitorous murderer who took everything away from him.

But apparently, not everyone thought like that.

"No!" screamed Wormtail, falling to his knees again and groveling, shuffling forward pathetically towards him. "Sirius-it's me… it's Peter… your friend… you wouldn't…"

Disgusted, Sirius kicked out, getting Wormtail away from him. He briefly wondered if this was how the rat would grovel at Voldemort's feet. "There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them," he snarled at him.

Turning back to Remus he then begged, "Remus! You don't believe this… wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?"

Sirius felt guilt cut through him. He knew that this was going to come up… he had been hoping that he wouldn't have to answer this until later. How could he ever have suspected Remus to be the spy? He knew that while Moony was dangerous, Remus wouldn't hurt a fly.

"Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter," said Remus calmly as he looked over at him with a smile. "I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?"

"Forgive me, Remus," asked Sirius.

"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend," said Remus gently, rolling up his sleeves. Sirius felt lower than dirt at how easily Remus brushed this off. He suspected that inside he must be hurt to think that he wasn't trusted enough with something like this. He then said, "And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing YOU were the spy?"

Sirius blinked, and the ghost of his smile came back as he also rolled up his sleeves. "Of course," he answered. That's right… thinking about that now wasn't important… first they deal with Peter and then they worry about all the lost time. "Shall we kill him together?"

"Yes, I think so," Remus responded grimly.

Terror came over Wormtail's face, "You wouldn't… you won't…" he gasped and scrambled around to Ron and gasped his injured leg. "Ron… haven't I been a good friend… a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you… you're on my side, aren't you?"

Ron looked at him with a look of disgust that Sirius felt, "I let you sleep in my BED!"

Sirius hoped that he didn't cause the boy to be permanently scarred by learning who Scabbers truly was. "Kind boy… kind master…" groveled Peter pathetically, "you won't let them do it. I was your rat. I was a good pet."

Sirius shook his head in revulsion and spoke coldly, "If you made a better rat than a human, it's not much to boast about, Peter." He was pleased to see Ron wrench his broken leg away from Peter's reach.

In desperation, he turned to Hermione, seizing her robes and begged, "Sweet girl… clever girl… you-you won't let them. Help me."

Hermione didn't say a word as she pulled her robes out of his grasp and retreated to the back wall. It was then that Wormtail turned to Harry. "Harry… Harry… you look just like your father… just like him."

Anger rose up inside him and he bellowed, "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY?"

It was his fault that his life was ruined before it even got started! It was this rat's fault that he will never know his parents; Wormtail was so pitiable that he turned to the boy he orphaned for help. He's so determined to protect his worthless life that he's now begging the son of the man he betrayed. The very person he deprived of parents, the very person he doomed to a life of terror from Voldemort… he's begging him to spare him of the thing that he deprived him of… life…

He didn't even deserve to even look at him after everything he did. "HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?"

"Harry," Wormtail whispered, ignoring what Sirius said and held out his hands, "Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed. James would have understood, Harry… he would have shown me mercy. "

James certainly would never have understood… Sirius knew that much. Both Sirius and Remus grabbed Wormtail and threw him away from Harry, and against the wall. Sirius glared at him savagely and said, shaking with anger, "You sold Lily and James to Voldemort. Do you deny it?"

Wormtail chose at that moment to perform the oldest trick in the book and started to cry like the baby he truly was."Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord… you have no idea… he has weapons you can't imagine. I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me…"

'_Sure, because it's so easy to tell someone how to find the very people they want to kill by accident,'_ he thought sarcastically. You can't force the location out of the Secret-Keeper! They have to give it to someone willingly! Otherwise there never would've been a point! And if he was never brave, how did a coward like him ever get placed in Gryffindor? He'll never understand this…

Every word he said made him burn with rage and he bellowed, "DON'T LIE! YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"

"He-he was taking over everywhere!" gasped Wormtail desperately, "Wh-what was there to be gained by refusing him?"

"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" said Sirius, murderous hatred rising up inside him. "Only innocent lives, Peter!"

"You don't understand!" he screamed. "He would have killed me, Sirius!"

So instead, he was willing to have James, Lily, and Harry die instead! He wished that Voldemort had killed him so they wouldn't be here right now! He would've done the whole world a favor by never letting this worm escape. "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" he bellowed. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

He and Remus stood shoulder to shoulder, their wands pointing directly at their former friend. "You should have realized," Remus said softly, "if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Good-bye, Peter."

This was it… this had been the moment he had been waiting to happen for twelve years. He was going to kill Wormtail and avenge James and Lily's deaths. _'This one is for you both,'_ he thought as he and Remus raised their wands. He opened his mouth about to shout out the one curse he swore he never use when all of a sudden a voice shouted out, "NO!"

The curse got caught in his throat and he stopped as, to his utter amazement, Harry ran forward and stood between them and Wormtail. "You can't kill him," he cried. "You can't."

Sirius and Remus looked taken by complete surprise. Sirius stared at him and said, trying to sound as reasonable as he could, "Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents," he threw Wormtail a filthy look as he said it and went on, "This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family."

"I know," Harry said, panting. "We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the dementors… He can go to Azkaban… but don't kill him."

"Harry!" gasped Wormtail, flinging his arms around Harry's knees in a pitiful display of gratitude. "You- thank you-it's more than I deserve-thank you…"

"Get off me," Harry spat ferociously, kicking him until he let go. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because-I don't reckon my dad would've wanted them to become killers-just for you."

Sirius and Remus stared at each other—not having the slightest idea to how he felt about that. Except for pride… how could anyone do that? Let the man who betrayed them all live?

"You're the only person who has the right to decide, Harry," he said slowly lowering the wand. "But think… think what he did…"

He was silently hoping that Harry changed his mind… but… he glanced up at the scared eyes of his two friends and he realized did he honestly want to kill someone in front of them?

"He can go to Azkaban," Harry repeated himself. "If anyone deserves that place, he does."

For a few seconds no one spoke, and finally Remus sighed, "Very well. Stand aside, Harry." When the boy hesitated, he went on, "I'm going to tie him up. That's all, I swear."

Thick cords shot out of Remus's wand and wrapped around Peter, and he was bound and gagged so tightly that he couldn't move. "But if you transform, Peter," growled Sirius, whose wand was pointing at him threateningly, showing that he meant business, "we WILL kill you. You agree, Harry?" Harry looked down at Wormtail and nodded.

"Right," said Remus in a professional voice as if he did this every day, and went straight to Ron. "Ron, I can't mend bones nearly as well as Madam Pomfrey, so I think it's best if we just strap your leg up until we can get you to the hospital wing."

He tapped Ron's leg with his wand and said, "Ferula," and bandages sprouted, wrapping themselves around the injured leg. Sirius felt guilt pang inside him once again when Ron tried to stand up.

As Ron thanked him, he turned to Hermione who was hovering over the unconscious form of Severus Snape. "What about Professor Snape?" she asked in a small voice.

'_Who cares?'_ he thought as Remus bent over to check his pulse.

"There's nothing seriously wrong with him," he assured her and Sirius couldn't help but feel disappointed at hear that. "You were just a little-overenthusiastic. Still out cold. Er-perhaps it will be best if we don't revive him until we're safely back in the castle. We can take him like this. Morbilicorpus." As though invisible strings were attached to him, Snape was pulled into a standing position like an ugly puppet. Sirius smirked, oh, taking him back to the castle will be fun… a little payback for trying to hand him and Remus to the dementors.

He then said, nudging Wormtail with his toe, "And two of us should be chained to this. Just to make sure."

The last thing that he wanted was for the rat to try and escape again.

"I'll do it," volunteered Remus.

"And me," said Ron fiercely as Harry helped him limp forward.

After Sirius conjured heavy manacles around Wormtail and chained him to Remus and Ron, he felt as if he had been born again. Just a wonderful sense of relief swept through him at the thought that he finally, finally caught the rat.

All he had to do was take him up to the castle and explain everything to Dumbledore and he will be free…

Just the word free made him feel like he was about to faint. Soon, he would have a chance to pick up what was left of his life and start over again… no more being on the run, no more bars. And as for Harry…

He glanced at the boy as they went down the stairs. He knew that it was a long shot, but he was going to ask him to come and live with him. He looked up to look at the back of Remus's head and realized that they also had twelve years worth of time to catch up on.

He hadn't killed Wormtail like he had planned, but Peter would now have to deal with the awful, horrific memories that Azkaban brought, and Sirius would be able to go back to living in proper society again.

As they reached the tunnel, Crookshanks leapt down ahead of them all and led the way with his tail held high. Onward to a new life…

**(Hope it was worth the wait! Next chapter is Sirius's view to what happened when Professor Moony transformed and the dementors arrived!)**


	19. Flying Free

_**Chapter 18: Flying Free**_

To say it was awkward would have been an understatement. Just less than half an hour ago, everyone had believed he had been both a traitor and a murderer. But now…

"We're almost there!" Remus called out from the front. He and the boy Ron were chained on either side of Wormtail to ensure that he didn't try to escape. Next came Snape, who he was making sure he kept hitting his head on the low ceiling, while Harry and Hermione followed close behind him. He walked a little slower to ensure that the girl would pass in front of him, before he turned to look at Harry.

Soon, after they turned in Wormtail and told Dumbledore what really happened, he would be free. Free… the word alone almost made him fell faint. But…

He continued to stare at Harry, who was still stiffly following—obviously as self-conscious as he was. They were both quiet for a few more minutes before Sirius blurted out what had been on his mind, "You know what this means? Turning Pettigrew in?"

Harry looked up at him and answered simply, "You're free."

Sirius nodded, relishing those two words… "Yes… But I'm also – I don't know if anyone ever told you – I'm your Godfather."

He waited for a few seconds before Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, I knew that."

That was a relief, one less thing to worry about. Still trying to figure out the words he was so longing to say.

"Well…" he croaked out, now carefully avoiding his godson's face. "You're parents appointed me your guardian, if anything were to happen to them…" he trailed off, for a moment, not believing what he was saying. "I'll understand of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle," he added quickly, still unable to look at Harry's expression. He wanted nothing more than for Harry to say yes and come live with him, but he didn't want to force him to…

"But… well… think about it," he went on, hoping that he didn't sound like he was begging, "Once my names cleared… if you wanted a… a different home…"

There was a slight thud, as if Harry had hit his head on the low ceiling, and then he finally answered, "What – live with you? Leave the Dursleys?"

Sirius felt as if the happiness inside him had burst like someone had popped a balloon. What had he been thinking? Of course he would never agree. Come on, he may be his godfather, he was still nothing more than a stranger to him! He hardly knew him… what else would he have said?

"Of course I thought you wouldn't want to," he said, trying hard not to show him the disappointment he felt. Though he hoped that now Harry knew the truth, he'd want to at least try to get to know him. To try and make up for those lost years… "I understand. I just thought I'd –"

"Are you mad?" Harry interrupted at once, his voice now sounded as croaky as his. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move?"

He stopped dead and spun his head around to look at him so quickly that he felt his neck crack. "You want to? You mean it?" It was too good to be true; he half expected Harry to say that he had been joking, but instead he said four little words that meant the world to him.

"Yes, I mean it!" he answered, a smile on his face.

And for the first time in twelve years, he smiled as well. A real smile as happiness surged through him that he hadn't felt since he took Harry out on his bike for that last time. They started walking again when they realized that they had falling behind the others, but he couldn't stop smiling. He had done it… he had been able to catch Wormtail and soon he would be handed to the Dementors to feel the pain he should've been feeling all these years. He, himself, would have his name cleared—and he was sure that the Ministry would be begging for forgiveness—find a nice house, maybe out in the country where he could see the sky, and his godson would move in with him.

They finally made it to the exit of the willow and clambered out. After a few minutes of Remus trying to figure out a way for the three of them to climb out, they began walking across the dark grounds. Sirius barely heard Remus threaten Wormtail as he continued thinking all his plans once his name had been cleared… at least until he noticed that a silvery fell upon them. Looking up at the sky he saw a bright, silver moon peak its head behind the clouds.

Up ahead, Remus suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Panic-stricken, he also stop and flung out his arm to stop Harry and Hermione as he stared at Remus. _'No,'_ he silently begged_. 'Not now! Not when we're so close…'_

But Remus's limbs had already began started to shake… he'd seen Remus transform into Moony enough times to know what was about to happen.

"Oh my –" Hermione gasped from behind him. "He didn't take his Potion tonight! He's not safe!"

"Run," Sirius whispered to them, right now he had to protect these kids. "Run! Now!"

Suddenly, he remembered that Ron was still up with Wormtail and Remus, and predicting exactly what Harry was about to do, he reached out just in time to grab Harry—who jumped forward—and threw him back behind him.

"Leave it to me – RUN!" he yelled at them as Remus's body grew, hunching double, hair sprouting as fangs and claws appeared… Moony howled, his silver teeth gleaming in the moonlight. Sirius charged forward, transforming into Padfoot and bit into Moony's neck to pull him away from the children. _'Over here, Moony!'_ he spoke to him in his mind, hoping that Moony would remember him after all these years… _'Fresh meat right here!'_

It worked, Moony hadn't even noticed Harry and the others as they began to tear at each other. Sirius ignored them all, doing his best to attack him, though he wasn't as strong as he once was. He knew that Remus would want him to do this, better him than these three.

He could hear the girl screaming, though he didn't notice as they continued fighting, his face getting scratched in the process… Finally, he bit a sensitive spot on Moony's back and the werewolf howled in pain before he finally turned and ran off into the darkness, in the direction of the forest.

Panting, he gasped for breath as he felt the blood dripping from his many bite marks. Exhausted, he turned back to the others when Harry suddenly shouted something out that made his heart stop.

"Sirius, he's gone, Pettigrew transformed!" Harry yelled. Fury and panic weld up inside him. No… he hadn't come all this way just to keel over now! He turned and ran, trying to pick up the sounds a tiny creature running through the grass, the smell of a rat… this time he was going to kill him… this time… this time…

But something was wrong… he suddenly felt… cold…

An icy cold that he knew anywhere entered his heart and froze his insides—once he neared the lake he could see them. The Dementors… at least a hundred of them had appeared and were drifting towards him. Panic, he forgot about Peter as he turned and tried to escape, but something was worng… his strength was leaving him… his eyes darkened…

He couldn't breathe, he transformed back, desperate to get some air in his cold-filled lungs, his powers suddenly abandoning him… now that he was happy again, the Dementors were sucking his strength…

He reached the outer sides of the lake and could hear their terrible rattling breath drawing near… "No," he begged, "No… please…"

He gasped for breath, the images of James and Lily, Remus, and Harry entered his mind. They were his last thoughts before his eyes closed and he fell into darkness…

_*Later*_

Sirius woke up slowly. So tired and aching—it was as if he had just been beaten with a club and left out in the cold afterwards to bleed dry. He tried to think back to what happened to him, though his mind was a haze. The fog swirled around his brain, clouding his thoughts, but little by little his memories started to take form again. The Shrieking Shack… Wormtail… Harry… Remus transforming… the Dementors…

THE DEMENTORS!

His eyes snapped open and he tried to get up—but to his horror he realized that he couldn't move. He was bound to the chair that he was in and no matter how hard he tugged at the bonds, he couldn't even move an inch. He leaned his head back, trying to fight the fear that was threatening to engulf him. He looked around at the room he was in, in hopes of distraction. It looked like one of the teacher's offices… with a desk, and some chairs—and a large window that was sealed shut. But he couldn't have been out for long—it was still dark out and the moon was still full.

He continued to struggle with his bonds, fighting to get free before it was too late. He was terrified to say the least. He knew what being caught meant… either he would be carted back off to Azkaban—or worse…

He felt a chill of terror go through his body at the idea of what the Dementors were going to do to him…

At that moment, he heard the door open from behind him. By instinct, he tried to transform and escape, but nothing happened.

"Finally awake, Black?" hissed a familiar voice that made his insides boil with hatred. He twisted his head around to look and there he was in all his greasy, ugly glory. Snape was strolling across the room with a triumphant smile on his hideous face… though he couldn't help but notice, with some satisfaction, he still had a giant bruise on the side of his face where he had been thrown against the wall.

He raised his wand which caused the door to shut loudly behind him as he continued to carelessly walk around him, like a shark, smiling in such a way that Sirius longed to punch him.

"Think that you got away did you?" he sneered at him calmly.

"I would've if you'd grow up," he hissed back. "What? Is the baby still upset that no one liked you when you were a kid?"

"Believe what you want, Black," he answered, though his eyes narrowed in dislike. "But we both know that the better man won tonight."

"Great," he barked with his eyebrows raised, "Who is he?"

He only continued to sneer at him. "Enjoy yourself while you can," he hissed softly. "Get all the jokes in that you want. I've just had word from the Minister that the Dementors will be here soon. They are going to give you that kiss I promised."

Sirius felt what little color in his face leave him, but he didn't stop glaring at him. "You think that you're a big man don't ya?"

"No, better than how you and Potter were to me," he growled back.

Sirius let out a bark of laughter. "That's it huh? You're doing all this just to get back at how we treated you in school. And you said that I was immature. Well, let me tell you, you may think you're better… but I still see the same scared, little git I know and loathe who I used to hang upside down. At least I know that I never kissed Voldemorts arse like you, you sniveling little…"

Snape pulled out his wand, looking furious—"Say what you want," he hissed so softly he barely heard him. "But before midnight, you will be finished… for good."

"I want to see Dumbledore!" he suddenly demanded.

"You're in no position to be making demands," he smirked before that twisted smile of his turned into one of great satisfaction. "You know Black; I do enjoy love the fact that I'm responsible for you getting what you deserve."

Sirius growled back. "Go to hell where you belong."

Snape laughed cruelly, pointing his wand very carefully at his face. "I can't tell you how long I've waited to see you get your long awaited punishment. The Dementor's Kiss, I can only imagine what that must be like. They say that it's supposed to be unbearable to watch but I'll do my best…"

"Severus," called a firm voice that Sirius recognized at once. He looked up at once and standing there was none other than Albus Dumbledore. He felt hope rise in him—this was his last chance…

"That is enough," he told Snape. "You may go, Severus. I will guard Black until the Dementors come," Snape nodded, casting one more loathed glance back at Sirius before he left—banging the door behind him on the way out. Once they were alone, Dumbledore sighed and raised his wand… for one horrible moment, he thought that Dumbledore was going to finish him off… but he gave just one little flick of his wand and the bindings that held him to the chair fell off. He sat up, shaking, but Dumbledore didn't lower his wand and stared at him so coldly, that he felt the need to crawl under a rock or something just to hide from those eyes.

"Sirius," he said coldly as walked forward. "Sirius, look at me."

Sirius sighed before he forced himself to meet his eyes. It was filled with sadness and disappointment… he couldn't bear to look at him…

"I'm sorry it has to be like this," he told him, his voice was still icy though. "I have never approved of the Dementors' ways of disposing of dangerous people. It was not my decision. Had it been up to me, you would have spent the rest of your life locked away with Aurors guarding you." He stared at him for a long time before he sighed quietly, "I don't understand, Sirius. You loved James and Lily, I remember how close you were at school and even after. What happened? Where did it all go wrong?"

Sirius didn't speak… rather, he burst out laughing… it was the exact same disturbing, cold laugh that sounded more like a sob. It was the same laugh he gave twelve years ago when he was taken—and earlier this evening in the shack with Wormtail. Dumbledore blinked, taken aback…

As quickly as Sirius started, he stopped. He then looked him straight in the eyes and pleaded, "That student didn't. That student is still here. I am begging you, Dumbledore," hoping against hope that his old Headmaster would listen. "Please, _please_ listen to me before you call the Dementors in! I know that it's too late…" he flinched at the thought of what was going to be awaiting him, but he went on, "but I once looked up to you and I'm begging that you at least hear me out. I am not a murderer." He could feel tears forming in his eyes, but Dumbledore didn't react at all.

"It wasn't me," Sirius whispered, more to himself than to Dumbledore. He took a deep breath and said the one thing that he had wanted to say since he was taken away. "I hated you, Dumbledore," he whispered. "Merlin, how I hated you. But not for telling the Ministry I was the Secret-Keeper, not for believing me to have killed my best friends. It was because I hated you for never coming to question _me_, never bothered to see if maybe you were wrong. That you never bothered to do what you just did and ask me why," all the pain and resentment he held for the old man burst through like a dam. "You were the one person I could tell what happened, the one person who would _know_ I was telling the truth. But how could I? I was never given a trial… no one ever listened to me."

Albus considered him for a moment, "Well, here I am, Sirius. Why don't you tell me just why you are not responsible for your crimes? Were you bewitched, put under the Imperius curse?"

Sirius laughed darkly again, and cried out hysterically, "Even now, you just thought of that?"

While his eyes were still cold, he spoke more gently, "Why don't you just tell me what happened?"

This was it. Sirius began to plead, "Dumbledore, please you must believe me. I was not the spy for Voldemort. It was Peter. I didn't do it…"

Dumbledore stared at him and he could almost see the gears turning in his head. He knew he wasn't making much sense but he had to get him to understand. "Sirius," Dumbledore said to him, anger now beginning to shine in his blue eyes. "Peter Pettigrew is dead! You killed him yourself. You cannot deny it."

"I…" Sirius' voice cracked as he croaked out as loudly as he could, "I did not kill Peter. But I can't deny that I _wanted_ to kill him." That was something he could never contradict. "Even when I had the chance to tonight. He betrayed Lily and James. He killed those innocent muggles and he cut of his own finger before he left me there to take the blame."

Dumbledore continued to stare at him as if he thought that he lost his mind. When he spoke again, it was crisp and irritated, "Sirius my time grows short. The Dementors will be here soon and I did not come here to hear stories. I wanted to know why you did it and nothing more."

"HAVE YOU NOT BEEN LISTENING TO ME? I'M INNOCENT!" Sirius screamed in frustration, causing Dumbledore to jump up and raise his wand in warning.

Knowing that he was ruining his last chance, he immediately backed down and begged, staring at the wand, "Please-please! Please believe me, it wasn't me, it was Peter!"

"And why should I believe you, when you've been trying to get into Hogwarts all year to get Harry?" Dumbledore demanded, his eyes blazing so terribly that he wanted to go and hide.

"It was Peter!" Sirius exclaimed desperately, breathing heavily. "We switched! He was the spy! He had been the one who had been passing information to Voldemort for a year before James and Lily died!"

Silence fell at those words. Sirius was breathing hard as if he'd run miles. Dumbledore didn't react at all. He only continued to gaze at him in amazement. And then… "What do you mean?" Dumbledore whispered in shock, and for the first time there wasn't any anger in his tone—only shock. "Sirius Black, you were the Potter's Secret-Keeper," he then reminded him. "You were there in the street explosion and you were the only one to survive it. What else is there to believe?"

"I…" he gasped out, fighting the tears as he confessed to what he did, "At the last minute we changed Secret-Keepers. We thought it was the perfect plan, _I_ thought it was the perfect plan. I thought it would keep all of them safe," he spat in disgust. "Believe me when I say this. The night before Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow, Peter and I switched so that it was Peter who sold them out!"

He tried to push those memories out of his mind. He closed his eyes and went on, "Voldemort knew that I would have been James's first choice. We thought that he would never suspect Peter, as the worthless little worm he is. Voldemort would've been sure to have come after me! No one knew that Peter was really working for Voldemort. Had I known, I would never have suggested it. Peter betrayed them. He told Voldemort were they were. As if it didn't matter that they would die because of it. He killed them. And I _wanted_ to kill him."

Dumbledore didn't say a word for a few minutes before he whispered, "Peter betrayed Harry's parents?" Sirius nodded and looked up at him.

More stunned silence before he answered regretfully, "Unfortunately, it doesn't change anything. You were not placed in Azkaban for betraying James and Lily, you were placed there for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve…"

Sirius interrupted again and snarled in anger, "He's not dead! And I didn't kill anyone. That was all him. After I found out what happened to James and Lily… and Hagrid taking my godson from me… I just… I snapped."

"So you went after him and killed him and all the Muggles as well?" Dumbledore answered at once.

"No, I went after _him_ to kill just _him_. That much is true," Sirius admitted, still hating himself that he couldn't even do that much right. "But little Pettigrew pulled one more over me. What you don't know Dumbledore is that we are all unregistered Animagus."

Now freed from the bondages, he transformed and became Padfoot. It would've been funny to see the startled look on Dumbledore's face when he saw him if the situation hadn't been so serious.

"Change back," he said quickly and Sirius obliged.

"Impressive," murmured Dumbledore. "So you all did this? You, Peter, James, and Remus?"

"No, not Remus," Sirius shook his head. "He was the whole reason we did it in the first place. It took us three years, but we got there in the end."

He watched as the understanding filled Dumbledore's eyes. "You did it so that you could keep him company during the full moon," he deduced. And Sirius nodded and then went on to explain.

"We sneaked out under the cloak, and then met up with Remus in the shack. James and I could keep him under control because we were both such big animals. He even retained some of himself when he was with us. When we got bored of the shack, we started roaming the grounds, Hogsmeade, learned more of the school than anyone." He sighed at the memories, "We comforted him at those times, all three of us."

For that one moment, he felt like he was going to cry, forcing down those feelings and memories, he gave a shuddering gasp and went on in a strong voice. "At the last minute, I had an idea that we should switch Secret-Keepers, so as to keep the Potters even safer. My brilliant plan," he added bitterly, "Was to switch to Peter. We didn't tell anyone else, for we didn't want the wrong people finding out."

Dumbledore whispered, "You could have told me, Sirius."

Sirius wanted to beat his head in with a brick or something. "I know," he replied miserably. "I know! I wish I had. Then this whole mess wouldn't have happened. But please, please believe me, Albus," putting in as much sincerity as he could into his voice. "I never meant for the Potters to die. I would've died before I betrayed them."

"What about Peter and the street full of Muggles?" Dumbledore questioned at once.

"I meant to kill Peter," he snarled angrily. Fury still reaching its boiling point at how he longed to have strangled the life out of Wormtail. "I cornered him in the street, not the other way around. The little piece of vermin got the better of me, yelling for anyone to hear that _I_ was the one who betrayed Lily and James. Then he blew up the street with the wand behind his back, and killed those twelve Muggles."

Seeing those memories flash in his mind's eyes, and had to wipe them furiously on his filthy sleeves. "That day… he cut off his own finger and made the ally way explode killing all those poor people before he transformed into a rat and escaped down into the sewers with the other rats. And just left me there to take the blame. I lost everything that day because of him. I was in shock. I couldn't handle it. I broke down and laughed, not at anything. I just snapped," this was where he seemed to have lost his voice and he stared down at his hands—as if expecting them to transform someway and become part of the monster he felt himself to have become. He risked a chance, and looked up to see Dumbledore watching him with a calculating gaze.

"But you escaped," he asked softly. "How did you do it? Why?"

"Azkaban only guards humans," he answered with a rather bitter laugh. "But it doesn't guard against dogs. It was easy if you think about it. I waited for them to bring me food one night and slipped past them as a dog. I was able to get outside and just jumped into the ocean."

Dumbledore almost dropped his wand and had to sit down as he continued to stare. "You mean you swam back to the mainland?" he asked in nothing short of astonishment. "Azkaban's in the middle of the North Sea! Miles from anywhere! How on earth did you survive it?"

"It almost killed me," he croaked out. "Almost drowned several times… and that's not counting the shock of the ice water." He shivered at the memory of the cold water and the journey north, but he took those memories as blessings… even traveling through hell had to have been better than trapped inside a lonely cell for all these years. "But I had a reason to break out… I had a reason to live."

"If it was so easy, then why didn't you do it before? Why now?" Dumbledore asked him. "Buy why have you been trying to break into the castle? You've broken into the school twice… why, if not to kill Harry?"

"Before I didn't have a reason to escape," he answered, feeling hope rise up from all the questions, thinking that he might have a chance here… "I knew that everyone hated me and thought I was a murderer and if I escaped then… well, it wouldn't have helped me win any friends. I knew that Peter was still out there somewhere. But I didn't have the slightest clue where. How are you supposed to find one rat that could be anywhere? But last summer things changed. Fudge was making his rounds and he gave me his copy of the Daily Prophet."

Sirius quickly dug into the pocket of his filthy robes and pulled out the newspaper clipping of the Weasleys and handed it out to him. Dumbledore took it with a rater perplexed look, looked at the picture before he looked back up in amazement.

"The Weasleys?" he asked. "You mean to tell me that you were really looking for Ron Weasley when you came into the tower that night? But why…?"

"Look on the shoulder of the boy… Ron," Sirius explained quickly, pointing to the paper. "It's him! I recognized it as Pettigrew at once! I can't tell you how many times I've seen him transform. I knew it was him. And if you'll notice, he's missing a toe."

"A toe. Pettigrew's finger. Good Lord," he breathed as his eyes widened in shock.

"The paper said that the boy was going back to Hogwarts," Sirius went on, trying to let him know just how important this was… just what was at stake. "To where I knew Harry was. I had to do something! I was the only one who knew that Peter was still alive and I couldn't let Harry be in danger. Especially when the real rat that made him an orphan in the first place was around him. That's why I did it! That's why I escaped and sought out Pettigrew! That is what I was doing when I had the knife in the boy's dormitory." He gulped and spoke directly from his heart, "I would never harm Harry. He is my godson. I love him more than my own life…"

"So you came here to save Harry?" Dumbledore asked stunned, in barely more of a whisper—looking at him as if he had just been told the secret of life. "Not harm him. Does he know this?" Sirius nodded.

"You understand now, Albus?" asked Sirius croakily hardly daring to believe that he was listening to him. "You understand I would never have done what I was blamed for?"

He looked up into his face and saw all the anger inside him fade… he breathed in deeply and asked gently, "Please tell me what happened tonight."

So Sirius launched into the tale of the confrontation at the Shrieking Shack, he talked about how he had pulled Ron into the willow and how Harry and Hermione had followed them. He explained how Remus somehow found out about them and disarmed them all. How Remus then came out and confessed truth of their past to the trio and how close they all were. How Severus came bursting in and refused to listen before he lost his temper and attacked him.

He lied about this last part because the last thing he wanted was for the kids to get into such big trouble. He then went on quickly and explained how he and Remus had forced Peter to show himself. How Peter had confessed to being the Secret-Keeper and betraying the Potters to Voldemort. He then talked about Remus transforming at the last minute, and Peter escaping. He stopped there to take a quick breath, still not used to talking so much and his throat felt as if it was being torn apart.

"I did mean to kill Peter," Sirius muttered, finally looking away at him. "I'll admit that, it was my intention twelve years ago and I meant to do it tonight."

"Why didn't you?" he asked him curiously. "What made you decide to bring him up to here instead of following through with your revenge?"

"Remus and I were going to kill him together, in the Shrieking Shack, but Harry stepped in. He said…" his voice broke, "He said James wouldn't have wanted us to become killers, just for Pettigrew."

He looked up to see that Dumbledore was actually smiling faintly as he closed his eyes in understanding—as if he wasn't at all surprised by what Sirius said. "Yes, that does sound like him," Albus said opening his eyes. "And he is right. Harry has a good a heart as his parents."

That brought up another important question. "What about them?" he demanded at once. "Is Harry and his friends, ok? I don't remember much more than Remus transforming."

"There wasn't any lasting damage to any of them that Madam Pomfrey cannot take care of in a day," he assured him and Sirius nodded in relief.

"Sirius, listen to me," he said, his own smile fading again. "You understand there is nothing I can do now, don't you? I cannot overturn your sentence at this point and no one would believe you, three teenagers, and a werewolf."

Sirius knew that, but it still felt as though all the hope inside him fell into a bottomless pit. "I know," he sighed heavily. "I can't say that I'm surprised. I didn't think that you could do anything about this. But that's not why I asked to see you. I needed to tell you that Pettigrew is out there, and he will most likely be seeking out Voldemort by now. He's a coward… now that he's been exposed, where else can he go crawling off to?"

"That seems likely. Sirius, I…" for the first time, words seem to fail his old headmaster. "I cannot even begin to tell you how sorry I am. I should've realized you would never betray James. But I was there when you were made the Secret-Keeper. I couldn't figure out how else it could've possible for Voldemort to have found them. And because I never thought to second guess myself… I have condemned you to the worst possible fate now. Please forgive me…"

"Don't blame yourself," Sirius said sullenly. "I understand. I hated you, but I understand now. Just…" he paused and then asked, "I know there's nothing that can be done, Dumbledore… but please promise me something."

"Anything," Dumbledore said.

"Promise me…" Sirius pleaded, trying to tell him his last request. "That you'll protect Harry. Please, don't let anything happen to my godson; he's more precious to me than anything else in this world. I know I'm not much of a godfather… hell, I'm probably the worst one to have ever lived! But please, please protect him for me."

"Sirius," he answered softly, shaking his head. "You couldn't be more wrong about that. But I do promise, I will protect Harry until my dying breath."

At those words, all the emotions Sirius had been holding back just came crashing down, and before he knew it, he had broken down into tears. Dumbledore rose from his chair and went straight to him. He put his hands on his shoulders and offered words of comfort and apologized over and over again. This went on for a short time until Sirius had been able to calm down and found the energy to look up into his face again.

"Thank you, Dumbledore," he croaked at last once he found his voice. "And…" he hesitated, knowing that this was selfish, "And tell Harry all about me, okay? The good stuff I mean; things that won't make him too ashamed to have me for a godfather. If he's anything like James, he'll be blaming himself for this when he finds out. Don't let him take this too hard." He gulped at the thought… he wouldn't even see James again when he died… just his luck. "Just take care of him for me, will you? I only got a few minutes with him where he didn't think I was a murderer but those minutes just mean so much to me. Tell him how much I cared about him. Promise me that Harry will be happy and safe. Please, Dumbledore… can you do that for me?"

"Of course," he said softly. He was quiet for a moment before his eyes widened as if he just thought of something. "But don't give up hope just yet. There may yet be a chance for stop this. Of course," he added, "It would take a miracle. But I know of a couple students who are good at those."

Sirius looked at him doubtfully and Dumbledore smiled kindly as he gripped his shoulder tightly. "I will do everything in my power to keep Harry safe though. You have my word."

"That's all I hope for," Sirius admitted shakily. "Please Dumbledore, keep him happy and safe for me. But I also have other request?"

Dumbledore opened his mouth but Sirius was shaking his head fiercely.

"Don't say anything like that, Dumbledore, it will take more than a miracle for me to get out of this," he interrupted, gesturing around the locked room. He knew that unless he suddenly found a way to fly, there was no way out of this. "But when the Ministry sends in the Dementors…" he gulped loudly and went on. "When they're finished with me… don't make me live like that. Don't make me carry on without my soul. It's all I've got left. When the Dementors are through with me please just…" he paused for a moment, trying to find a way to put into words what he wanted. "Put an end to me." Sirius's voice choked up and he could not stop the wracking sobs that over took him.

He could've sworn that he saw tears in Dumbledore's eyes as he helped Sirius to stand up and embraced him tightly. "Sirius," he said soothingly. "I cannot tell you how sorry I am. Had I have known, I would have made sure to have gotten you a trial at least. But when I heard of all those things that you—rather that Peter had done… I thought for sure that…" he trailed off, unable to finish.

He waited until Sirius had stopped crying before he pulled away.

"I'm afraid I must go meet the Minister and Severus now," Sirius frowned distastefully at those two names, "And Harry and his friends, of course. I want to see how they are fairing and get their sides of the story." He turned to leave, but stopped. "Just a matter of curiosity, but by any chance, did James happen to transform into a stag?"

This time it had been Sirius who stared at him. "Well, yes," Sirius said, startled. "B-but how did you know?"

"Harry's Patronus. I saw it twice," Dumbledore explained softly. "I thought it very bizarre at the time. But I know that the Patronus I saw was indeed a stag."

"That's right," Sirius said reminiscently, "Prongs. That was us. Moony, that was Remus obviously, Pettigrew was Wormtail, I'm Padfoot… and James was Prongs," he finished quietly.

He walked back over to him and clasped his shoulders. "Do not be afraid, Sirius. You have to be one of the bravest men I have ever known. Staying true to your promises even when anyone else would've given up long ago—" he fell silent for a moment before he said, more to himself than to him. "I'm not sure that I would've had the strength to go through it."

Sirius couldn't answer him.

"I really must leave now. I have a few things to arrange," he said softly.

"Remember what I said. Tell Harry for me," Sirius called after him.

Dumbledore stopped momentarily in the doorway and glanced out the window. "I think you'll be able to do that for yourself," he said calmly. He said nothing more, ignoring Sirius's puzzled expression, and closed the door behind him.

He sat back in the chair, with his head in his hands, a kind of blank despair coursing through him. So this was it… this was where he would end… to just fade away… to think that the last thing he would ever see would be a Dementor… he gripped his hair… what a way to go…

As he sat there, feeling nothing but cold anguish, he heard a tap on the window. Looking up dully—until what saw made his jaw drop. It was official… he lost his mind. There was no other explanation. He could've sworn that he saw the hippogriff that he had seen tethered in Hagrid's yard over the year hovering in front of the window. And there, riding it, was Harry and Hermione…

When they saw him look up, they gestured for him to hurry. No longer caring if this was just a hallucination or not, he leapt up and ran to the window. What were they doing here? He pulled against it, but it firmly locked, and he didn't have a wand to open it.

"Stand back!" the girl mouthed, and he leapt back. Clutching the back of Harry's robes, she pulled out her wand and performed a charm so that the window sprang open.

"How…" Sirius asked weakly, still staring at the hippogriff and the two teenagers riding it. Unable to think of anything else to say he just repeated, "How…?"

"Get on. There's not much time," Harry panted with the effort to hold the hippogriff steady. "You have to get out of here now! The Dementors are coming—Macnair went to get them."

That snapped Sirius out of it. He pulled himself through the small window and had been able to swing one leg over the hippogriff's back—at the same time trying not to think of what would happen if he fell or someone saw them.

Once he had clambered onto its back just behind Hermione, Harry shook the reins, shouted, "Okay, Buckbeak, up! Up to the tower — come on."

There was a rush of cold, bitter wind as they flew, but he couldn't care less… he was free! Sirius laughed out loud, delighted to be flying again after so many long years of being stuck on the ground. He hadn't felt this alive, or this truly free, since he had first escaped Azkaban as the wind blew, causing his long hair and dirty robes to flap around him. Through the night sky, they soared higher and higher—to one of the towers and then—before he stopped enjoying the ride—the hippogriff called Buckbeak had landed. And almost as soon as Buckbeak's feet hit the stone, Harry and Hermione slid off.

"Sirius, you better go, quick!" Harry cried, spinning around to look at him, as he slid forward and grabbed the reins to prevent Buckbeak from taking off again. "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you're gone…"

But he couldn't bring himself to leave yet … "What happened to the other boy, Ron?" he asked at once.

"He's going to be okay," Harry gasped and he felt relief again. He's still out of it, but Madam Pomfrey says she'll be able to make him better. Quick — go —"

Sirius, however, stayed where he was, unable to look away from them. It only just dawned on him, but he had realized that he owed, not only his life, but his soul to them. If they hadn't gotten him out, he would be worse than dead.

"How can I ever thank—" he asked softly.

"GO!" Both Harry Hermione screamed at them. Realizing that they were probably right, that he should be long gone by the time anyone noticed he was gone, Sirius turned Buckbeak around to face the open sky. His body was almost aching to get back into the sky and wind again—where he was going, he had no idea—but at least he knew that he was out of yet another prison.

"We will see each other again." he said to both of them, turning to Harry, commenting his face to memory. "You are truly your father's son Harry."

Sirius remounted the hippogriff and squeezed Buckbeak's sides with his heels. The enormous wings flapped, and the hippogriff took off into the air. Looking back, only to get one last glimpse of the two teens, he could just make out two tiny pinpricks in the distance as they watched him from the top of the tower… he gazed at them and at the castle, the gleamed in the darkness, for as long as could, but a cloud drifted in front of him, blocking them from view.

Sighing, he instead turned his attention to what lay ahead. He and Buckbeak were flying through the thick clouds—before they suddenly burst through the vapors and into the moon and starlit sky…

He shook the reins, urging Buckbeak to skim over the top of the dark clouds and soaring up to fly in the clear, star speckled night. Sirius couldn't help but start laughing again… this one full of joy and happiness… almost drunk on his own freedom and to feel the strong wind blowing around him…

He let go of the reins, only holding onto the hippogriff with his legs—but at that moment he held out his arms and let out a cry of pure joy… of excitement and ecstasy… feeling alive in such a way that almost shadowed those years of hell in Azkaban.

All too soon, the wings underneath him almost unsettled him and he leaned forward to grab around Buckbeak's neck to prevent him from falling off. But he was still grinning from ear to ear as he breathed in the sharp and cold air, filling his lungs. The feeling of his lungs burning, his spirits soaring, and of course the sight of flying through the night sky was wonderful. The best ever felt; even better than he was the night he escaped Azkaban…

He turned the reins slightly so that they were heading in the direction of the full moon… he knew that Wormtail escaped… and that the road ahead of him was dangerous… that he would forever have to stay on his guard… but at the moment, he honestly couldn't care.

He had just done the impossible and escaped once again from Hogwarts with his soul intact. He'd had worst days… but they could only get better right? He could handle whatever life threw at him… now that Remus and Harry believed him and Wormtail was now far away from Harry and everyone else at Hogwarts… which meant that he could relax for a while… after years of the cold and dark, he desperately needed a vacation.

But where to go? He suddenly had an idea and he grinned widely; wondering how Buckbeak would feel about bright, sunny beaches

**(They're free! Now, sorry for the long wait, but school has to come first. Now, I could end the story with a epilogue next chapter, or I could keep going until he moment he dies. What would you like to see? Hope you enjoyed this chapter nonetheless.)**


	20. In the Sun

_**Chapter 19: In the Sun**_

It had been about two weeks since Sirius's narrow escape from Hogwarts. At the moment, he was stretching out on a warm beach, finishing up a letter as Buckbeak fell asleep in the warm sand next to him. Sirius had stolen some parchment and ink from the last house and now leaned back to read it.

_**Dear Harry, I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl post. **_

_**Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this owl falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job. **_

Sirius smirked as he looked to the tiny owl that he had gotten just a few hours ago. He slipped into the Owl Emporium and left a letter and some money requesting to buy one of the owls and the shop keeper sent off this little guy. The miniature owl hooted happily, jumping around, obviously eager to be sent off for his first delivery.

Sirius smirked and told him, "I'm almost done. Just let me finish it. You're going to be a present to a a red-head boy you here?"

The owl twittered away as he finished reading the message.

_**I believe the Dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted. **_

He smiled. Yes, that should cheer Harry up. Now he should be able to have a much more normal year without having everyone watching every step he made. This should give him more freedom.

_**There is something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt – **_

He smiled wider at that line. He was glad that he sent it… he only wished that he could've told his godson that in person.

_**Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from my own Gringotts vault. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your godfather. **_

_**I would also like to apologize for the fright I think I gave you that night last year when you left your uncle's house. I had only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you. I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable. If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me.**_

_**I'll write again soon. **_

_**Sirius**_

He had just folded up his letter when he remembered one last thing. He opened it up and quickly added a P.S.

_**I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather, hereby give him permission to visit Hogsmeade on weekends.**_

"Here," he said to the little owl. He gave it to him and finished by saying, "Make sure it gets to him alright?"

The owl hooted before he took off and flew into the bright sunlight. Sirius watched him soar off happily before he leaned back comfortably and shook open a letter he had gotten from Remus.

_**Dear Padfoot, **_

_**First, I want to let you know that Harry and Ron and Hermione are all alive and well. I can't tell you how grateful I am for that.**_

"Neither can I, Moony," Sirius whispered to himself as he reached up to scratch Buckbeak's head. He knew that if anything had happened to any of them, then he'd probably kill himself out of guilt. And of course if Harry had gotten killed… he shivered horribly at the idea and forced that from his mind. _'He's fine,'_ he told himself. _'You have the proof here.'_

_**Unfortunately, I have to tell you that word of my 'furry little problem'**_

Sirius smirked at the old joke.

_**Got out and now the whole school knows. And though I'm sure that you have already guessed this, but I chose to resigned my position as Defense Against the Dark Arts.**_

Sirius cursed under his breath as that familiar feeling of guilt began to fill him again—after all, if it hadn't been for of him, then maybe Remus wouldn't have done it.

_**Also, I can help you out as long as I'm away from Hogwarts. Everything fits now, but thirteen years had me convinced, and it's hard to believe anything now. It's good to know that you are innocent now. Knowing you were in Azkaban, even when I hated you - I'm sorry, but it's the same way you hate Peter – it was so painful for all these years. Even thinking that you had betrayed Lily and James and Peter, even knowing you had destroyed us all, I still couldn't let go of everything you did for me and James and Peter. **_

Sirius sighed as he thought back to those happy memories. He glanced up at the bright sunny sky and thought to himself, for perhaps the millionth time, why it all ended the way it did. When did it go so wrong?

_**I am writing this as the carriage is taking me to the front gate and I'll be going back to my flat for a short time. I hope that we can still stay in contact with each other… after twelve years we have a lot to catch up on, though I know that we won't be able to see each other again for most likely a long time.**_

He sighed grimly. While, he knew all that already, it was still hard to read first hand.

_**I hope you're well - if you need any help you can always owl me and tell me where you are. If you need ANYTHING just owl me. **_

_**Goodbye, and good luck.**_

_**Your friend, **_

_**Moony **_

Sirius smiled and folded the letter and relaxed back in his seat to enjoy the sun after so many years of cold and darkness. It was good to know that he still had a friend, and it was definitely good to hear from Remus. His heart feeling warmer than it had been in years…

_*A few weeks later*_

For the next couple weeks, he had enjoyed sitting in this almost tropical paradise and try to heal from those years of misery. He knew that they couldn't stay in one place for too long however, knowing that the wizarding world was still searching for him. But his pale skin was starting to darken very slightly from the sun and he was able to find food growing in the area and started to put on some weight.

He ran his hand over his face, knowing that his handsome face was gone forever, but at the moment, he was just glad to see that his health was starting to recover. Now he lay back on the long grass in silence, staring up at the deep-blue, cloudless sky, and wondered where Peter was now, and what he was doing. Was he looking for Voldemort? If so, what would the evil bastard do to him? Half of him hoped Voldemort would kill him, but the other half still wanted to do it personally.

This train of thought was going nowhere, so he thought about the Shrieking Shack, and Harry. He wondered if Harry felt the same blind hatred for Pettigrew that he had for him, and remembered Harry leaping up and throwing himself between him and Lupin, and Peter.

The boy had never known his father, but the way he stopped him sure made it seem otherwise however. It seemed that he knew James' morals even when Sirius and Remus had long-since forgotten them or tossed them aside in favor of revenge. Sirius felt a half-surge of guilt for wanting to kill Pettigrew without asking if it was what James wanted done… he knew that Harry had been right. James never would've wanted him and Remus to become murderers.

And he then realized that he even forgot that there were three teenagers in the room with them! To kill with them watching? How could he have even thought of that? He shuddered at the idea, now almost glad that Harry stopped him.

He also felt guilty about scaring Harry that night when he finally tracked him down. But what was he doing that night? He seemed to be running away. But why?

He vaguely remembered how he would run away from his family house after a fight and stay out all night before he returned the next morning. He kept this up until finally he ran away for good. Was Harry just angry and wanted to leave? After all, teenagers were notorious for thinking that they rather be anywhere but at home when they got angry. Or was he just leaving to go and spend some time at a friend's house that night?

He closed his eyes and lay there in silence for a long time, the sun warming him until he fell asleep. For the next couple weeks this had been his schedule. He would wake at dawn and go hunt for food, usually it had been in the wilderness… but once he got closer to towns, he was able to steal hotdogs and burgers from the stands when the venders were too busy selling to tourists.

It tasted like heaven.

After that, he would then relax in some quiet beach, far from others—letting Buckbeak also enjoyed the warm sun and sleep the days away. He sent a couple letters to Harry, letting him know that he was doing well—also deciding to brighten up that boring neighborhood he lived in by sending the letters with tropical birds. He would laugh loudly when he watched them sore off. He was recovering slowly from his years in Azkaban… but he felt better than he had in years.

He would spend any other time re-reading the few letters he had gotten from Remus and Harry. This one had come not to long after he sent the little owl to Harry.

_**Dear Sirius, **_

_**Thanks for the letter and the note - I got them on the train. And I think that he loves the owl. THANK YOU! Thank you for sending me the Firebolt! It is the best present I ever got! Thanks to it, we were able to win the Quidditch Cup!**_

Sirius beamed at that. He knew that… that was a great day…

_**I'm doing surprisingly well here on Privet Drive – to be honest, me and my relatives really aren't the best of friends. We mostly just ignore each other, but I like it better that way so it works out.**_

Sirius chuckled. _'Teenagers…'_ he thought fondly.

_**My cousin Dudley's on a diet now - his private school insisted that he get down to a size of knickerbockers they had in store. **_

Sirius raised his eyebrows. Wow… that was impressive. How the hell did he manage that? He couldn't be that big… could he?

_**He keeps trying to get hamburgers and candy bars and soda, but Aunt Petunia is putting her foot down. It's not a sight I've seen before, Dudley not getting his way. **_

Sirius snorted. Sounds like a spoiled brat in his opinion.

_**Hope you don't mind about me doing that - tell me if you do. I'm glad you're okay. Take care of Buckbeak and yourself. **_

_**Harry **_

Sirius grinned. It certainly sounded like Harry was having a better time than he had last year, by all accounts. But all that changed about a month later…

A large, white owl had flown down and landed right in front of him, causing him to jump. Once he saw who it was, and who the letter was from, he broke into a large grin and took it off Hedwig's leg. He quickly took it off, but this one letter wasn't like any other he ever read.

_**Dear Sirius,**_

_**Thanks for your last letter. That bird was enormous; it could hardly get through my window. Things are the same as usual here. Dudley's diet isn't going too well. **_

_**My aunt found him smuggling doughnuts into his room yesterday. They told him they'd have to cut his pocket money if he keeps doing it, so he got really angry and chucked his PlayStation out of the window. **_

Sirius cocked his head. A what? His question was answered almost at once as he read on.

_**That's a sort of computer thing you can play games on. Bit stupid really, now he hasn't even got Mega-Mutilation Part Three to take his mind off things.**_

"Oh," he said to himself. That explained it, but boy was that kid acting like a two year old or what? If he ever acted like that when he was young, then that old hag of a mother, would've punished him in the blink of an eye. And what was the game called? _Mega-Mutilation_? Interesting title.

_**I'm okay, mainly because the Dursleys are terrified you might turn up and turn them all into bats if I ask you to.**_

Sirius chuckled. Of course, if he ever found out that the Dursleys were treating his godson badly, there wouldn't be any 'might' there.

_**A weird thing happened this morning, though. My scar hurt again. Last time that happened it was because Voldemort was at Hogwarts.**_

Sirius's grin faded at once at that line. What? Feeling slightly cold he continued on reading quickly.

_**But I don't reckon he can be anywhere near me now, can he? Do you know if curse scars sometimes hurt years afterward?**_

_**I'll send this with Hedwig when she gets back; she's off hunting at the moment. Say hello to Buckbeak for me.**_

_**Harry**_

_**If you want to contact me, I'll be at my friend Ron Weasley's for the rest of the summer. His dad's got us tickets for the Quidditch World Cup!**_

Sirius sat there in a kind of horrified trance. What did that mean? He didn't like this at all. Why would Harry's scar be hurting like that? Could it be that Voldemort is near him right now? The idea made him feel cold and he quickly pulled out one of the sheets and wrote his reply, telling him that he was going to be coming back.

He knew that it was crazy and dangerous… what would happen if he was caught? But if his godson was in danger, nothing was going to stop him from coming back just to see with his own eyes that he was ok.

_**Harry -**_

_**I'm flying north immediately. This news about your scar is the latest in a series of strange rumors that have reached me here. **_

_**If it hurts again, go straight to Dumbledore - they're saying he's got Mad-Eye out of retirement, which means he's reading the signs, even if no one else is. **_

_**I'll be in touch soon. My best to Ron and Hermione. Keep your eyes open, Harry.**_

_**Sirius**_

As soon as he finished his letter, let Hedwig rest a short time, and sent her off again did he get to his feet. He persuaded a grumpy hippogriff to wake up before he climbed on and took off. He was going back.

**(Happy Halloween ;-)**


	21. FireTalk

_**Chapter 20: FireTalk**_

Sirius wasn't angry. Not at all…

He was beyond furious!

How could they have let this happen? Butterflies of worry churn inside him and he felt terrified for his godson. He paced the small rock covering that he and Buckbeak were hiding out in on their way back to Hogwarts. While he didn't want to admit it, he had heard many disturbing rumors that foul play had been happening lately. He did his best to ignore them, but he couldn't ignore this.

His godson, Harry Potter, was now forced to compete in the TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT!

This had to be a bad joke, it had to be. This couldn't be a plot to get him killed could it? He read about the disaster at the Quidditch World Cup with the Dark Mark, and he spent the rest of the summer worried sick if Harry and his friends had been caught up in that mess. He also knows that that foul, cowardly Pettigrew escaped just months ago, and he's sickened to know that his former friend was probably with Voldemort right now. It makes him feel nauseated, because he knew that they would try to target Harry, no matter what Sirius did to try to protect him.

It had been a relief when he had received a letter from Harry he got before Halloween. He pulled the crumpled piece of parchment from his pocket and re-read the letter.

_**Dear Sirius,**_

_**I reckon I just imagined my scar hurting,**_

_**I was half asleep when I wrote to you last time. There's no point coming back, everything's fine here. Don't worry about me, my head feels completely normal.**_

_**Harry**_

Sirius rolled his eyes. Did he really think he would fall for that? It almost made him want to laugh. Really, Harry you can do better than that. He was writing to a Marauder for crying out loud.

He sent back a letter right away, letting him know that he was just fine and not to worry. He had a feeling that his godson would try and come up with something like that to keep him safe. Though to be honest, he was actually quite hurt that Harry was trying to trick him like that. He had always wanted to be a person that Harry could trust… someone who he would feel comfortable enough to tell him when something was bothering him. While he was touched that he care so much for him, Sirius almost insulted at the same time that he would think that he fall for such a horrible lie.

Of course, that all changed once he got the second letter just after Halloween… one that had changed everything. It felt as if it had been a Howler just begging him to help him. He never felt more scared or worthless before in his life. He sighed as he pulled the second letter out and re-read it for what felt the millionth time in the last few hours.

_**Dear Sirius,**_

_**You told me to keep you posted on what's happening at Hogwarts, so here goes – I don't know if you've heard, but the Triwizard Tournament's happening this year and on Saturday night I got picked as a fourth champion. I don't who put my name in the Goblet of Fire, because I didn't. The other Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory, from Hufflepuff.**_

_**Hope you're okay, and Buckbeak –**_

_**Harry**_

Sirius felt the need to bash his head against the wall. Now, what a way to end a letter… _'I'm in a life-threatening tournament, and someone is planning to kill me. Hope you're well.' _Jeez, Harry…

When Sirius learnt that his precious godson had been chosen to be champion for the Triwizard Tournament, he had been absolutely petrified—and he still was. He thought that there had been an age line to stop such a thing from happening, so what's going on here?

Sirius felt a torrent of anger on Harry's behalf towards the ones who planned this whole thing. And while he knew that if the Triwizard Tournament had been going on while he had still been in school, he would've tried his best to get his name in despite the age line. But Harry had enough trouble without risking his life again! He was too young for this!

He blinked before he shook his head. He suddenly had a good idea to how Mrs. Potter, James's mother, felt when they had been getting into so much trouble at school.

But he pushed that all away. It wasn't his safety that mattered now. He looked out at the rising moon through the dark clouds. He had a plan in mind. And while he knew that what he was risking could cost him his life—and his freedom… he had to try. Even if he was risking getting sent back to Azkaban, he had to see Harry with his own eyes.

And he wrote back a quick message.

_**Harry -**_

_**I can't say everything I would like to in a letter, it's too risky in case the owl is intercepted - we need to talk face-to-face. Can you ensure that you are alone by the fire in Gryffindor Tower at one o'clock in the morning on the 22nd of November?**_

_**I know better than anyone that you can look after yourself and while you're around Dumbledore and Moody I don't think anyone will be able to hurt you. However, someone seems to be having a good try. Entering you in that tournament would have been very risky, especially right under Dumbledore's nose.**_

_**Be on the watch, Harry. I still want to hear about anything unusual. Let me know about the 22nd of November as quickly as you can.**_

_**Sirius**_

That was when he set off after that, looking for a house that he would be able to use. While he travelled, he found an old copy of the Daily Prophet, which talked about the tournament. Sirius hissed as he read the whole thing—while he might not have spent much time with his godson, he knew that these words were things he never would've said.

He did his best to skip over all of it, but after he had done that, there was hardly anything else… except for the interesting bit about the Durmstrang student. He frowned… now he really needed to see Harry before it was too late.

He had found the perfect house—the wizarding family who were going out for the weekend—thus leaving the house empty. He had waited patiently for them to leave—continuing to count the minutes until he would have to meet Harry.

Finally, at about a quarter to one in the morning, he slipped out from his hiding place under the house and crept up the steps as Padfoot. Really, people sure had let their guard down now that Voldemort was gone. Getting the door open and sneaking in wasn't any challenge at all. He sniffed cautiously around the house; good, there really wasn't anyone here.

He walked by the cupboards where he could smell some food within—he fought the cravings as he sniffed around for the fireplace. After about five minutes, he found it, and some Floo Powder on the mantle in a large snuffbox.

He pulled out a few sticks of Muggle matches that he stolen earlier and used a little bit of magic to cause the end to ignite. After that, getting a roaring fire going hadn't been difficult at all. He kept checking the coo-coo clock on the wall until it was exactly time. So taking a deep breath, he threw a handful of the powder into the fire which caused the flames to turn to the emerald green. That was when he took a deep breath and stuck his head in. "Gryffindor common room, Hogwarts!" he cried.

While it had been many years since he used the fire like this, he still wasn't used to it. His knees remained firm upon hard floor, and only his head hurtled through the emerald fire… before it stopped.

And there he was… he was looking out at the familiar common room—and there was his godson, sitting in the chair. His head turned and he jumped when he saw him, but quickly got over it as he got up and ran over to crouch down by the hearth, and said croakily, "Sirius - how're you doing?"

It was so good to see his face again. He gave him a gentle look before he said seriously, "Never mind me, how are you?" He needed to know how he had been doing all this.

"I'm -" Harry began but stopped, as if he wasn't sure how to answer him. And then suddenly he was talking.

"Terrible," he moaned out, "It's just been horrible here, Sirius. You see, anyone who wanted to enter the tournament had to put their name into the Goblet of Fire. But I swear, I didn't put my name in! I don't know how it happened! After it was set up in the hall, I went up to bed and that's it! And after my name came out, no one believed me! They kept asking how I got over Dumbledore's Age Line and tricked the Goblet… and no matter how many times I tell them, they just won't listen to me." He stopped here to take a breath and went on, "And then there was that article that Rita Skeeter wrote! I hardly said anything to her and put in all these lies in it… I can't even think about it without feeling sick. But everyone else believes it. And now things are just going from bad to worst. I can't even walk down a corridor without everyone sneering at me… and the worst part is Ron… he doesn't believe me. Hermione said it's because he's jealous…"

He went on like this for a time, and Sirius just let him talk. He couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since he had talked about any of this. This is good for him to get that all off his chest. Until finally, he ended by saying desperately, "… and now Hagrid's just shown me what's coming in the first task, and it's dragons, Sirius, and I'm a goner."

Once he stopped and was catching his breath, Sirius gave him a sad look. He could tell that he needed to say all that before he exploded. He also had wanted to draw their talk out for as long as possible before he was forced to leave again—after all it had been months since he had seen his godson, and knew that it would be several more months before they were able to meet face-to-face again.

He had gone through enough already, but… "Dragons we can deal with, Harry, but we'll get to that in a minute – I haven't got long here… I've broken into a wizarding house to use the fire, but they could be back at any time. There are things I need to warn you about."

"What?" Harry asked, clearly looking like he couldn't believe that anything could be worse than dragons.

"Karkaroff," he said carefully. "Harry, he was a Death Eater. You know what Death Eaters are, don't you?"

Harry blinked before he stuttered out, "Yes - he - what?"

"He was caught," he told him, and he told him about how Karkaroff had been in Azkaban.

"Karkaroff got released?" Harry asked him. "Why did they release him?"

"He did a deal with the Ministry of Magic," he told him bitterly. "He said he'd seen the error of his ways, and then he named names… he put a load of other people into Azkaban in his place… He's not very popular in there, I can tell you. And since he got out, from what I can tell, he's been teaching the Dark Arts to every student who passes through that school of his. So watch out for the Durmstrang champion as well."

"Okay," said Harry slowly. "But… are you saying Karkaroff put my name in the goblet? Because if he did, he's a really good actor. He seemed furious about it. He wanted to stop me from competing."

Well, of course he is. But then again, it doesn't take a good actor to fool the Ministry. But he thought better than to mention that to Harry at the moment. "We know he's a good actor," said Sirius, "because he convinced the Ministry of Magic to set him free, didn't he? Now, I've been keeping an eye on the _Daily Prophet, _Harry…"

"- you and the rest of the world," said Harry bitterly.

He gave him a sympathetic look before he went on, "- and reading between the lines of that Skeeter woman's article last month, Moody was attacked the night before he started at Hogwarts. Yes, I know she says it was another false alarm," he said quickly when he saw Harry open his mouth, "but I don't think so, somehow. I think someone tried to stop him from getting to Hogwarts. I think someone knew their job would be a lot more difficult with him around. And no one's going to look into it too closely; Mad-Eye's heard intruders a bit too often. But that doesn't mean he can't still spot the real thing. Moody was the best Auror the Ministry ever had."

Which was true… even after he had been captured and locked away, he never did lose respect for Mad-Eye for butting all those other Death Eaters in prison and away from innocent people. Harry shook his head, "So… what are you saying? Karkaroff's trying to kill me? But - why?"

Sirius hesitated, just wondering what on earth to tell him. truthfully, he thought yes. But then again, Karkaroff seemed too stupid to pull this off on his own.

"I've been hearing some very strange things," he said slowly. "The Death Eaters seem to be a bit more active than usual lately. They showed themselves at the Quidditch World Cup, didn't they? Someone set off the Dark Mark… and then - did you hear about that Ministry of Magic witch who's gone missing?"

"Bertha Jorkins?"

"Exactly… she disappeared in Albania, and that's definitely where Voldemort was rumored to be last… and she would have known the Triwizard Tournament was coming up, wouldn't she?" he asked him.

"Yeah, but… it's not very likely she'd have walked straight into Voldemort, is it?" Harry asked and Sirius had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. He wouldn't say that if he ever met Bertha in person.

"Listen, I knew Bertha Jorkins," said Sirius grimly, and he told him what he remembered of her from his own school days.

"So… so Voldemort could have found out about the tournament?" Harry asked once he was done. "Is that what you mean? You think Karkaroff might be here on his orders?"

"I don't know," said Sirius slowly, personally, he highly doubted it. After all, he betrayed far too many Death Eaters to just be welcomed back by Voldemort… then again, if Voldemort was desperate enough…? He shook his head. "I just don't know… Karkaroff doesn't strike me as the type who'd go back to Voldemort unless he knew Voldemort was powerful enough to protect him. But whoever put your name in that goblet did it for a reason, and I can't help thinking the tournament would be a very good way to attack you and make it look like an accident."

"Looks like a really good plan from where I'm standing," said Harry grinning bleakly, even though there wasn't anything to smile about. "They'll just have to stand back and let the dragons do their stuff."

"Right - these dragons," said Sirius, speaking very quickly now, knowing that he was pushing his luck by staying here. But he had an idea… it was to use a Conjunctivitus Curse—which would blind the dragon, since their eyes are always their weakest spot. "There's a way, Harry. Don't be tempted to try a Stunning Spell - dragons are strong and too powerfully magical to be knocked out by a single Stunner, you need about half a dozen wizards at a time to overcome a dragon -"

"Yeah, I know, I just saw," said Harry.

"But you can do it alone," said Sirius, his heart now beating painfully, knowing that he should tell him and leave. "There is away, and a simple spell's all you need. Just -"

But Harry held up a hand to silence him; but for a second, he wondered why he would stop him, at least until he realized that he could hear footsteps down the spiral staircase. Sirius felt his heart sink as Harry hissed, "Go! Go! There's someone coming!"

Harry scrambled to his feet, hiding the fire and Sirius, with a great wrench, pulled his head out of the fire. He stayed just long enough to steal a little food from the cupboards, and bolted out of that house—now now feeling that he let his godson down again.

However, it was only a few days later, just after the date of the First Task, that he got the letter.

_**Dear Sirius,**_

_**About those dragons…**_

**(What do you think? I know I'm skipping over a lot of time, but it's becoming almost a chore to write these days, and I'm stuck studying for finals week. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed this short chapter.)**


	22. Bad News

_**Chapter 21: Bad News**_

Relief. That was all that Sirius felt for the next few months… it was the only thing that kept him going through the Christmas holidays. His godson had made it through the first task alive. It was the best present he could've gotten.

As for himself, he spent Christmas travelling the countryside with Buckbeak, making his way across the familiar terrain. Stopping only to make sure to send Harry something for Christmas; he spotted an article in the paper about a magical knife that can unlock any lock and undo any knot. He placed an order for it just like how he ordered the Firebolt.

He hoped that Harry wouldn't actually have to use it, but he wanted him to have something to keep him safe… it helped but his mind at ease.

The holidays came and went; he hadn't received much news from Harry since he wrote to tell him how he got past the dragon. He grinned, wishing that he could've been there to see it. It would've been amazing to see.

But around February, he got a message that shocked him. Apparently, Harry had seen Barty Crouch on the map one night searching Snape's office.

What? How was that possible? He had heard that Crouch had been ill and hadn't been seen for some time. That alone was reason enough to be suspicious. He knew Crouch very well unfortunately. Something was wrong… that much was obvious.

There was nothing else for it, he had to see _him_. So late one night, he sent a grubby message.

**As I'm writing this message, I can almost see Hogwarts in the distance in front of me. I want to know what is going on, and if you have any answers yet because this waiting is slowly driving me crazy.**

Or even crazier than he already was.

He knew that it was dangerous. But he needed to see him…

*The next night*

The morning after he sent the message, he got one back, telling him to meet him in the forest. He didn't go in there until darkness had almost fallen and ran over leaf-strewn ground and ducking under low-hanging branches as he neared a particularly large clearing. And there he was… waiting for him.

Standing in the middle of the clearing was Albus Dumbledore.

He made some noise and Dumbledore turned to see him there. Padfoot slowly came forward, showing himself, but Dumbledore held up a hand to stop him from doing anything before he held his wand over his head. "Homenum revelio," he said softly. Nothing happened… so no one else was around.

"Salvio Hexia… Protego Totalum…" Dumbledore whispered, casting several more before he was satisfied and turned towards him. "Alright, Sirius. If you could take your usual form."

And almost at once, he was back in his human form, his bones aching a little bit from not having been human for awhile. "Dumbledore," he croaked out, going nearer to see him.

"Lumos," Albus said softly and the tip of his wand ignited so that they could see properly. He smiled at him and said, "Sirius. It is so good to see you again. And while I can't say that I'm surprised that you're here, don't you see how dangerous this is?"

It felt so good to be able to have a conversation with someone who could answer back. "Of course I do," he croaked irritably. "But I needed to be here… with all this happening around here… of course I'm worried about what is gonna happen to my godson. How is he?"

Albus gave him a grim look but said soothingly, "As well as he can be given the circumstances. I'm sure that you must know about the Second Task by now? He made through it with one of the best scores. He's tied with Cedric Diggory."

Sirius nodded. He was aware of the tasks, he got the letter from Harry telling him about it and he found it hard to conceal his pride. "They were a site to see without a doubt…" Dumbledore said, and had explained what Harry had done against the dragon, and what he did in the lake.

Sirius smirked. "Of course he would bring the girl back up with him. I mean, if he can't allow someone as pathetic as Wormtail to be killed, sure he would save a little girl."

"That he would," Dumbledore chuckled. "The trio are up at the castle doing just fine at the moment. And the Third Task ends in June. So we just have to last until then."

"Something that I'm looking forward to," Sirius sighed again as he sat down on a fallen log. He ran his hand through his mess of hair and said quietly, "I can't believe that this all happened." He then glared up at him, "How could you let him compete?"

Dumbledore shook his head and said softly, "Believe me Sirius. The last thing that I wanted was for Harry to be entered. The whole reason that I put the age limit up was to prevent something like this from happening. I still don't know how his name came out of the Goblet, but there's nothing I can do about it now."

"Surely there's some way…?" Sirius asked quickly, the man had to be able to do something about all this couldn't he? "Some way that he doesn't have to compete any further right?"

"I racked my brains with that very same question Sirius, yet I couldn't find one," he confessed sadly. "But he made it through two of the three… all that's left is this last task, then this will all be over."

"June," Sirius groaned, running his hands over his thin face. That felt like an eternity from now. And with each passing second, it felt even longer. "I understand that professor," he answered in annoyance once he thought it over. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

Albus walked over to sit next to him on the log and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I have to admire your dedication, Sirius. Not too many people would've back all this way just to ensure that their godson is safe. Especially, for someone in your position."

How could he not? Harry was all he had left worth living for.

"Yeah," Sirius answered grimly. "I know that it's not the smartest thing to do, but you see I had to… when I got his letter over the summer about his scar hurting him…" he trailed off. He then looked up at him and asked, "Why is that? Harry said in his letter that his scar hurts him whenever Voldemort's near him right? Why would it hurt him over the summer? Why would it hurt at all? And when has Voldemort ever been near him?"

"Those are very good questions," Albus said. "But to put it simply, the two of them are connected by the curse that failed. Nothing like this has ever been seen or done before so I can't answer with certainty. But I believe that it hurts him whenever Voldemort is near because it is some kind of warning…"

"But then why would it hurt over the summer?" Sirius asked at once, feeling as though every bit of happiness was falling out of him. "I mean, Voldemort wasn't there was he?" he prayed and prayed that wasn't the case.

"No," Albus answered, and Sirius felt a small bit of the fear leave him. "Of that I am certain. You see… when Lily died protecting him from Voldemort, she gave him a lingering protection of love. After the attack I moved Harry to his aunt house, her only remaining relative. The only other person who shares Lily Potter's blood… so long as he is there, Voldemort cannot touch him. Lily's sacrifice had given her son the strongest protection imaginable and because of that, Voldemort cannot enter anywhere near Privet Drive. And besides even if he could, he is still far too weak to make the attempt."

"Then why…?" Sirius began but Albus sighed.

"I'm afraid that I don't have all the answers," he answered him.

'_Then what good are you?'_ he thought bitterly. But instead of saying that he asked, "What are we going to do?"

"Harry is still young," Dumbledore answered firmly. "He's just a fourteen-year-old boy… a child who's barely a teenager. The best we can do for now is to protect him as best we can."

"Well, we sure seem to be doing a great job of that," he muttered bitterly.

They sat in silence for a while before he asked, "Do you know how this is happening? I mean, he has to be behind this doesn't he? How is he controlling everything from—wherever the hell he is?"

Dumbledore didn't ask who he was talking about, but Sirius had a feeling that he knew. He got up and began pacing around the clearing. Sirius watched this, wondering what on earth he was going to say. After a few minutes the headmaster said, "I knew, before the school year even started, that Voldemort has been planning something involving Harry and the Triwizard Tournament. Yet I still don't know what it is or how."

Sirius probably had a look of bewilderment on his face that matched how he felt. Dumbledore then went on, "Everything that has been happening started last summer. For months, I knew that the signs were pointing in a dangerous direction. First Wormtail escaped…"

Sirius cracked his knuckles angrily at the mention of that rat, but Dumbledore continued as if he heard nothing, "And not long after that, Bertha Jorkins vanished in Albania, the place where Voldemort had hidden himself. Harry's scar is hurting; the Dark Mark showing up at the Quidditch World Cup… it doesn't take a genius to see that Voldemort is on a comeback trail, which is why I insisted on bringing Alastor Moody here to teach just in case."

When Sirius couldn't find anything to say, Dumbledore explained, "But Harry is very well protected—he has been since the attack on him as an infant. Trying to go after him at Privet Drive is impossible for Voldemort, and Harry is being protected and watched in more ways than even he realizes. I just can't see any way Voldemort could get to him—especially now that he is at the castle. And so, though it pains me to admit it, the best I can do was to wait and keep my eyes and ears open and wait until I get a hint of what Voldemort is planning."

Sirius watched as he took off his glasses and rubbed his exhausted eyes and kept speaking as though he was thinking out loud to himself. "The moment I read Harry's name after it came out of the Goblet of Fire, I began running through all possibilities I could think of. Of course I knew at once that Harry never would've put his name into the Goblet, and he couldn't have been entered under Hogwarts, as we already announced a champion for Hogwarts. And so, whoever _did_ enter Harry's name would have to have used a pretty strong spell to get the Goblet to recognize a fourth school."

"At least you believed him," Sirius said at once. "I mean, I spoke to Harry through the fire months ago right before the First Task and he was having a rough time of it. Even his best friend didn't believe him."

"Yes," Albus answered grimly, putting his glasses back on and looked at him tiredly. "This year has been very tough for him. Thankfully, things are looking up… but the point is that I knew he couldn't have done this. He's usually powerful for his age, but he couldn't have done anything to the Goblet. I have eyes and ears on him all the time, and I know for a fact that he went up to the common room the night before and didn't leave until breakfast on Halloween morning. It's obvious that Harry had nothing to do with this. But if Harry didn't put his name in, then why was his name in there at all? There is no doubt in my mind… Voldemort is behind it. And somebody at Hogwarts is working for him."

Sirius felt sick to himself at the thought. Feeling as if breathing had become difficult he demanded, "Who?"

"Well, that's the million galleon question," Dumbledore answered wearily. "Yes, who? Because when you think about it, there really aren't all that many possibilities."

"What about Snape?" he demanded getting up and glaring at him long and hard. Dumbledore must've remembered how obsessed the guy was with the Dark Arts when they were in school. "The greasy-haired git is a Death Eater right? He has to…?"

Dumbledore shook his head and interrupted, "Severus is no more a Death Eater than myself, Sirius. I assure you that he isn't the one doing this."

"Then…?" Sirius asked, still determined to come up with an argument.

But Dumbledore was speaking again, "There are lots of students here, but Voldemort isn't strong enough to be recruiting new followers yet. His Death Eaters clearly don't know he's returned. There's almost no way a student could be responsible – and besides, precious few could have managed to Confund the Goblet anyway. And I trust my staff. I know that _none_ of them are working for Voldemort."

He clearly said this last part to remind Sirius that he included Severus. Sirius got the hint and just snorted.

"I have known Madame Maxime for several years," he went on, "And I know that she would never do anything like this. I also know that she wouldn't do it anymore than Hagrid would…"

"But that doesn't leave any other possibilities," Sirius said thinking it over.

"I had two to begin with… Igor Karkaroff and Ludo Bagman," Dumbledore said.

"Bagman?" Sirius repeated with his eyebrows raised. The man had no brains but a Death Eater? "I know the man is a bit of an idiot…"

"He was once charged with passing information to Voldemort," Dumbledore told him and Sirius stared at him. Ludo Bagman a Death Eater? But before he could ask, Dumbledore went on, "Though I highly doubt it he did it on purpose. After Voldemort fell from power, Ludo was put on trial for giving information about the Ministry to Augustus Rookwood. According to Ludo, he did not know that Rookwood was a Death Eater. Rookwood had been a friend of Ludo's father and had persuaded Ludo into giving him the information by talking about getting Ludo a job at the Ministry. Barty Crouch attempted to place Bagman in Azkaban for this exchange of information for a certain amount of time, but Ludo was cleared of all charges… He hasn't been accused of any criminal activity since then… at least not to my knowledge."

He sighed before going back to his explanation, "But back to the point, neither of these two seem all that likely to be the culprit either. To be honest, both are inherently weak people who simply don't seem bright enough to convincingly pull off a scheme like this. Nor would either seem to have a motive. But one is a former Death Eater, and the other was at least accused once of working for Voldemort as well. I've been watching them both very carefully this year. But now with Barty suddenly taken ill…"

"You think that he might have something to do with this?" Sirius asked, thinking of what Harry wrote and told him. "I heard the bastard was taking sick." He then whispered under his breath, "Hopefully he'd choke on his medicine."

Dumbledore gave him a sharp look, but didn't say anything against him. "I really don't know," he told him softly. "I knew Barty for years, taught him myself when he was here… and I happened to have noticed that he had been acting a little differently than normal since the tournament began… but I know for a fact that he left after the feast last Halloween so he couldn't have slipped Harry's in. As well, he is known for having fought the Death Eaters as harshly as they have."

Sirius stared at him. He sighed and sat back next to him. "I don't know…"

They were silent for a short time before Sirius said. "Well, whatever. So long as you keep my godson safe so that he lives through the final task that's all I want."

Dumbledore gave him a sad look. "I'm doing my best Sirius," he told him. "If there was something else I could've done I would've by now. The best we can do is watch over him and help him should he need it."

Sirius threw him a dark look before he said firmly. "I don't care what you say. I want to be closer to him. Just knowing that I'm nearby should something happen means a lot to me."

"I know," he answered and Sirius looked at him. Was Dumbledore really going to give in this time? "And I know that would mean the world to Harry as well—almost as much as your freedom means to him. But I knew that I could never tell you want to do. You can stay here, Sirius if you insist, but you have to be careful. Right now, our trio and myself are the only ones around here who know about you and your abilities. And if you insist on staying, I know that there is a cave up on the edge of Hogsmeade that would serve to hide you."

Sirius looked up at him at once and he smiled, glad that he will be able to stay a little closer to Harry. "I believe that it will be the safest place for you, but you must be careful," Dumbledore repeated firmly. "If anyone should ever see you, you will be thrown back into Azkaban faster than blinking and there won't be anything I can do to get you out of it. And also," he said this part very seriously, "I want you to discourage Harry from coming out to visit. You know as well as I do that once he learns that you're here he will want to see you. But should he try, it would only serve to put him at risk and the less chances we take with his safety the better… don't you agree?"

Sirius felt disappoint course through him. He wanted to see Harry more, of course he did, but he knew that Dumbledore was right. Unable to say all that though, he just nodded and croaked, "I better get back to Buckbeak."

Dumbledore nodded courteously in return. "I will see you soon I hope?"

Sirius transformed back into the grim-like dog and trotted off into the cover of the darkness.

*A couple weeks later*

Sirius had been hiding in the cave for some time now and had slowly gotten used to it; though his stomach was still roaring with hunger on most days. He had to be careful not to draw to much attention onto himself however. Once the villagers got used to seeing a big black dog, they sometimes threw food out to him.

He knew that today would be a good day though. He knew that this was the day that Hogwarts students would be allowed to come to Hogsmeade. After sending a message with pleas of food to Harry and his friends the day before, he left the cave and scourged the familiar village of Hogsmeade. It brought back many fond memories.

One day, as he was looking through the garbage for a paper, he saw this in Witch Weekly.

_Harry Potter's Secret Heartache_

He blinked at that before he rolled his eyes. What a load of rubbish. But none-the-less, he picked it up, thinking that he would read it later on. He waited all morning for him, the weather warmer than it had been all year, and he stayed near Dervish and Bangs. He kept looking up every few seconds, thinking he heard them.

He waited at the corner, once in awhile he would put his paws up on the nearby bar to check a grandfather clock in the corner. It was just past noon when he heard the sounds of footsteps and he looked up.

There they were. All three of them were walking towards him. Sirius drank in Harry's face… feeling so glad to see him again after all this time, and was pleased to see that he looked a good deal happier than the last time he saw him.

He was carrying a large bag with him and when they looked up at him, and smiled at the sight of him. He got down from the bar as they came nearer.

"Hello, Sirius," said Harry when they got close enough. A delicious smell was coming from the bag and he could smell chicken in the back. Feeling his mouth beginning to water, he wagged his tail once and turned to led them up the mountain.

There was a small path for them to follow, but they had trouble keeping up with him. He often had to stop and wait while they caught up. After about half an hour, he led them straight into the cave. Buckbeak squawked when he saw him, but Sirius knew him well-enough to know that he was just startled at his sudden appearance.

The three soon entered, bowing low to Buckbeak, and waited for him to bow back, and Hermione went forward to pet him. Harry looked at him, just as he transformed back.

"Chicken!" he said hoarsely after removing the old Daily Prophets from his mouth and throwing them down onto the cave floor. Harry opened his bag and handed it over. Sirius could see that there were a bunch of chicken legs, a loaf of bread, and some pumpkin juice. Sirius's eyes almost rolled into the back of his head in pleasure. He couldn't remember the last time he had pumpkin juice.

"Thanks," said Sirius, opening it, grabbing a drumstick, sitting down on the cave floor, and tearing off a large chunk with his teeth. "I've been living off rats mostly. Can't steal too much food from Hogsmeade; I'd draw attention to myself." He grinned up at Harry, but the grin he got back was nervous and looked forced.

"What're you doing here, Sirius?" he said, his tone light, but he could hear the anxiety in his tone.

What did he think he was doing? "Fulfilling my duty as godfather," said Sirius, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Don't worry about it, I'm pretending to be a lovable stray." He was still grinning, but seeing the anxiety in Harry's face, he assured him that he knew what he was doing. He then jerked his head at the other copies of the Daily Prophets that he managed to scrounge up.

Ron went over to read them, but Harry asked him, "What if they catch you? What if you're seen?"

The kid worried too much. Really, James never worried this much… he was a grown man who had been on the run for almost two years. He can take care of himself. He shrugged and said, "You three and Dumbledore are the only ones around here who know I'm an Animagus."

As he went back to eating, Ron showed Harry the papers. After a few minutes Harry looked up and said, "They're making it sound like he's dying. But he can't be that ill if he managed to get up here…"

Ahh… that's right, he could remember the letter that Harry sent him about that.

"My brothers Crouch's personal assistant," Ron finally spoke up. "He says Crouch is suffering from overwork."

Really? There was no such thing as overwork in that man's vocabulary.

"Mind you, he did look ill, last time I saw him up close," said Harry slowly, still reading the story. "The night my name came out of the goblet…"

"Getting his comeuppance for sacking Winky, isn't he?" said Hermione, sounding angry as Buckbeak started going after the remaining chicken bones. "I bet he wishes he hadn't done it now - bet he feels the difference now she's not there to look after him."

Sirius looked at her confused. Winky? That sounded like the name of a house-elf. Thankfully, Ron answered his question without him even asking, "Hermione's obsessed with house-elfs."

Sirius looked up at her and asked, "Crouch sacked his house-elf?"

"Yeah, at the Quidditch World Cup," said Harry, and he then explained how, after the Dark Mar appeared at the World Cup, it was Winky who had Harry's wand. Once she was found, Crouch was furious and sacked her.

Sirius began pacing up and down the cave as he thought it all through.

"Let me get this straight," he said after a while, thinking that he had it all down. "You first saw the elf in the Top Box. She was saving Crouch a seat, right?"

"Right," they all said in at the same time.

"But Crouch didn't turn up for the match?" Sirius then asked.

"No," said Harry. "I think he said he'd been too busy."

Sirius paced all around the cave in silence. And then he had an idea and he looked back at his godson and asked, "Harry, did you check your pockets for your wand after you'd left the Top Box?"

"Erm…" Harry said, looking surprised by the question and thought it over. After a minute, he answered, "No. I didn't need to use it before we got in the forest. And then I put my hand in my pocket, and all that was in there were my Omnioculars."

He then blinked and stared up at him.

"Are you saying whoever conjured the Mark stole my wand in the Top Box?"

"It's possible," said Sirius with another shrug, though he hoped that Harry would keep a closer watch on his wand from here on out.

"Winky didn't steal that wand!" Hermione insisted.

"The elf wasn't the only one in that box," said Sirius, thinking hard. "Who else was sitting behind you?"

"Loads of people," Harry said. "Some Bulgarian ministers… Cornelius Fudge… the Malfoys…"

"The Malfoys!" said Ron suddenly, so loudly that his voice echoed all around the cave, and Buckbeak tossed his head nervously. "I bet it was Lucius Malfoy!"

"Anyone else?" Sirius asked them. While he understood Ron's distaste of any Malfoy, he hated them as much as they did, but he couldn't see Malfoy taking the wand. What use would he have with it?

"No one," said Harry. As Sirius began to think it all over, Hermione suddenly said, "Yes, there was, there was Ludo Bagman."

"Oh yeah…" Harry said nodding.

Sirius didn't look at any of them as he remembered his discussion with Dumbledore. But he thought better than to mention it to them. "I don't know anything about Bagman except that he used to be Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps," said Sirius, not looking at them. "What's he like?"

"He's okay," said Harry. "He keeps offering to help me with the Triwizard Tournament."

"Does he, now?" said Sirius, frowning more deeply. Was it possible that Dumbledore was wrong and that it was Ludo behind this? "I wonder why he'd do that?"

"Says he's taken a liking to me," said Harry with a shrug.

No, Sirius really didn't like that. Something was wrong with that.

"We saw him in the forest just before the Dark Mark appeared," Hermione spoke up. "Remember?" she said to Harry and Ron.

"Yeah, but he didn't stay in the forest, did he?" said Ron. "The moment we told him about the riot, he went off to the campsite."

"How d'you know?" Hermione shot back. "How d'you know where he Disapparated to?"

"Come off it," said Ron incredulously. "Are you saying you reckon Ludo Bagman conjured the Dark Mark?"

"It's more likely he did it than Winky," said Hermione stubbornly.

"Told you," said Ron, looking meaningfully at Sirius, "told you she's obsessed with house -"

But Sirius held up a hand to silence Ron. He didn't like this at all. He would have to send a message to Dumbledore about that piece of information. "When the Dark Mark had been conjured, and the elf had been discovered holding Harry's wand, what did Crouch do?" he asked at once.

"Went to look in the bushes," said Harry, "but there wasn't anyone else there."

"Of course," Sirius muttered, pacing up and down, becoming lost in thought as he remembered the cold man who had been there to send him off to prison. "of course, he'd want to pin it on anyone but his own elf… and then he sacked her?"

"Yes," said Hermione, sounding angry, "he sacked her, just because she hadn't stayed in her tent and let herself get trampled -"

"Hermione, will you give it a rest with the elf!" said Ron loudly but Sirius was shaking his head.

"She's got the measure of Crouch better than you have, Ron. If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."

Those were the same words he heard Remus say once. He sighed as he ran a hand over his face, suddenly missing his friend terribly. He wondered how he did during the last full moon.

"All these absences of Barty Crouch's…" he said, almost forgetting that he had company with him, "He goes to the trouble of making sure his house-elf saves him a seat at the Quidditch World Cup, but doesn't bother to turn up and watch. He works very hard to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament, and then stops coming to that too… It's not like Crouch. If he's ever taken a day off work because of illness before this, I'll eat Buckbeak."

"D'you know Crouch, then?" Harry suddenly asked him.

At his question, all the memories of his injustice came flying back to him at once. He turned to Harry, who looked startled by his expression.

"Oh I know Crouch all right," he said quietly. And then he told them his history with Crouch.

"What?" Ron and Hermione both called at once, shocked.

"You're kidding!" Harry said loudly, looking furious.

"No, I'm not," said Sirius, taking another great bite of chicken. "Crouch used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, didn't you know?"

When they shook their heads he explained, "He was tipped for the next Minister of Magic. He's a great wizard, Barty Crouch," though 'great' wasn't what he meant. He elaborated, "powerfully magical - and power-hungry. Oh never a Voldemort supporter," he said, reading the look on Harry's face. "No, Barty Crouch was always very outspoken against the Dark Side. But then a lot of people who were against the Dark Side… well, you wouldn't understand… you're too young…"

"That's what my dad said at the World Cup," Ron demanded, sounding angry now. "Try us, why don't you?"

Sirius looked at him. And, for the second time, he could see himself in the boy and couldn't stop the grin.

"All right, I'll try you…" he paced the cave for another moment, trying to find the right words to how to put this, "Imagine that Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are, you don't know who's working for him and who isn't; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing… the Ministry of Magic's in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere… panic… confusion… that's how it used to be."

He stopped for a moment and remembered those days; the fear, the confusion in those days. Wondering who would be the next to die… he shut his eyes tightly, forcing himself to come back to the present.

"Well, times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others," he answered simply. And that was something he knew all too well.

"Crouch's principles might've been good in the beginning - I wouldn't know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemorts supporters. The Aurors were given new powers - powers to kill rather than capture, for instance. And I wasn't the only one who was handed straight to the dementors without trial." But whether or not they were innocent was anyone's guess.

"Crouch fought violence with violence, and authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects. I would say he became as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark Side," he said and they were looking sick at the though and he went on.

"He had his supporters, mind you - plenty of people thought he was going about things the right way, and there were a lot of witches and wizards clamoring for him to take over as Minister of Magic," and he silently thanked whatever god out there that that didn't happen, though he wished that he could've done better than Fudge.

"When Voldemort disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Crouch got the top job. But then something rather unfortunate happened…" Sirius smiled grimly, thinking that at least Crouch got some punishment. "Crouch's own son was caught with a group of Death Eaters who'd managed to talk their way out of Azkaban. Apparently they were trying to find Voldemort and return him to power."

"Crouch's son was caught?" gasped Hermione.

"Yep," said Sirius, throwing his chicken bone to Buckbeak, and went to the bread. It was said, but not overly surprising, because it seems that Jr. probably ended up hating his father and the dedication he focused on catching Death Eaters. So he figured that joining him was probably a sign of rebellion for him or perhaps a way of gaining his father's attention, seeing as the people his father was paying the most attention to are Death Eaters. "Nasty little shock for old Barty, I'd imagine. Should have spent a bit more time at home with his family, shouldn't he? Ought to have left the office early once in a while… gotten to know his own son."

He tried not to look at Harry at those words, reminding him that he couldn't leave and get to know his own godson as well as he would've liked.

"Was his son a Death Eater?" Harry asked.

"No idea," said Sirius, still trying not to look at him as he ate his breath. "I was in Azkaban myself when he was brought in."

He felt anger once again, knowing that he had Crouch to thank for that. "This is mostly stuff I've found out since I got out. The boy was definitely caught in the company of people I'd bet my life were Death Eaters –" his cousin one of them. "But he might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like the house-elf."

Personally, he highly doubted it.

"Did Crouch try and get his son off?" Hermione whispered.

That question got him to let out a bark of laughter. Really, he thought that Hermione had known better than that. "Crouch let his son off? I thought you had the measure of him, Hermione! Anything that threatened to tarnish his reputation had to go; he had dedicated his whole life to becoming Minister of Magic. You saw him dismiss a devoted house-elf because she associated him with the Dark Mark again - doesn't that tell you what he's like? Crouch's fatherly affection stretched just far enough to give his son a trial, and by all accounts, it wasn't much more than an excuse for Crouch to show how much he hated the boy… then he sent him straight to Azkaban."

"He gave his own son to the dementors?" asked Harry quietly.

"That's right," said Sirius, and he felt pity for the boy as he thought back to those long, miserable years of Azkaban. "I saw the dementors bringing him in, watched them through the bars in my cell door. He can't have been more than nineteen. They took him into a cell near mine. He was screaming for his mother by nightfall. He went quiet after a few days, though… they all went quiet in the end… except when they shrieked in their sleep…"

The memories were pouring back into him, that for a moment, he thought he was still back there. Still in the cold, hearing the screaming… he was grateful when Harry spoke.

"So he's still in Azkaban?" Harry asked so softly, that he almost didn't hear him.

But Sirius shook his head and told him what happened to Barty Crouch Jr.

"He died?" Harry repeated horrified.

"He wasn't the only one," said Sirius bitterly and told them the truth about Azkaban. "Most go mad in there, and plenty stop eating in the end. They lose the will to live. You could always tell when a death was coming, because the dementors could sense it, they got excited. That boy looked pretty sickly when he arrived. Crouch being an important Ministry member, he and his wife were allowed a deathbed visit. That was the last time I saw Barty Crouch, half carrying his wife past my cell. She died herself, apparently, shortly afterward. Grief. Wasted away just like the boy. Crouch never came for his son's body. The dementors buried him outside the fortress; I watched them do it."

Sirius threw aside the bread he had just lifted to his mouth and instead picked up the flask of pumpkin juice and drained it; his tongue tingling at the taste.

"So old Crouch lost it all, just when he thought he had it made," he continued, more to himself than to them. "One moment, a hero, poised to become Minister of Magic… next, his son dead, his wife dead, the family name dishonored, and, so I've heard since I escaped, a big drop in popularity."

He felt sympathy for the boy, but none for Crouch. "Once the boy had died, people started feeling a bit more sympathetic toward the son and started asking how a nice young lad from a good family had gone so badly astray. The conclusion was that his father never cared much for him. So Cornelius Fudge got the top job," he rolled his eyes at that, "And Crouch was shunted sideways into the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

They sat in silence for awhile as Sirius thought back to what Dumbledore said the other night.

"Moody says Crouch is obsessed with catching Dark wizards," Harry suddenly said and Sirius nodded.

"Yeah, I've heard it's become a bit of a mania with him. If you ask me, he still thinks he can bring back the old popularity by catching one more Death Eater."

Though, unless it was Voldemort, he doubt that would ever happen.

"And he sneaked up here to search Snape's office!" said Ron triumphantly, looking at Hermione.

"Yes, and that doesn't make sense at all," said Sirius, though he hated to admit it.

"Yeah, it does!" said Ron excitedly, but Sirius shook his head.

"Listen, if Crouch wants to investigate Snape, why hasn't he been coming to judge the tournament? It would be an ideal excuse to make regular visits to Hogwarts and keep an eye on him." God, he hated that guy, he'd love to get him for something one day.

"So you think Snape could be up to something, then?" asked Harry, but Hermione cut in almost at once. "Look, I don't care what you say, Dumbledore trusts Snape -"

"Oh give it a rest, Hermione," said Ron impatiently. "I know Dumbledore's brilliant and everything, but that doesn't mean a really clever Dark wizard couldn't fool him -"

"Why did Snape save Harry's life in the first year, then? Why didn't he just let him die?"

Sirius looked up, what?

"I dunno - maybe he thought Dumbledore would kick him out-"

"What d'you think, Sirius?" Harry said loudly, and he was glad that Harry was able to put a stop to it.

"I think they've both got a point," said Sirius, though still wondering what they were talking about. "Ever since I found out Snape was teaching here, I've wondered why Dumbledore hired him. Snape's always been fascinated by the Dark Arts, he was famous for it at school. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was," he added, thinking fondly of the memories, and making the boys grin.

"Snape knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year, and he was part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters."

Sirius held up his fingers and began ticking off names. Hatred for each of those people he once knew. Especially, when he mentioned his deranged cousin.

"Snape knows Karkaroff pretty well, but he wants to keep that quiet," said Ron at once and Harry suddenly spoke up, telling how Karkaroff showed up in Potions and showed him something on his arm. Sirius looked over at him in surprise. His arm?

"He showed Snape something on his arm?" said Sirius, looking frankly bewildered. When Harry nodded Sirius had no idea what to say to that. "Well, I've no idea what that's about… but if Karkaroff s genuinely worried, and he's going to Snape for answers…"

Sirius stared at the cave wall, angry that he couldn't figure this out. There was a piece to this puzzle that he still needed to find… it was like someone was holding the clue to it all in front of him, but it was too dark to see what it was. But what did this have to do with Snape? What did that slimeball say to get Dumbledore to trust him?

"There's still the fact that Dumbledore trusts Snape, and I know Dumbledore trusts where a lot of other people wouldn't, but I just can't see him letting Snape teach at Hogwarts if he'd ever worked for Voldemort."

"Why are Moody and Crouch so keen to get into Snapes office then?" said Ron stubbornly.

"Well," said Sirius slowly, "I wouldn't put it past Mad-Eye to have searched every single teacher's office when he got to Hogwarts. He takes his Defense Against the Dark Arts seriously, Moody. I'm not sure he trusts anyone at all, and after the things he's seen, it's not surprising."

Even in Azkaban, they spoke of Mad-Eye with reverence along with hatred. "I'll say this for Moody, though, he never killed if he could help it. Always brought people in alive where possible. He was tough, but he never descended to the level of the Death Eaters."

That had always been the one thing he admired about Moody. He believed that getting killed was too easy and quick a way to get out of punishment. He liked to keep them alive to pay for their crimes. Nothing like Crouch.

"Crouch, though… he's a different matter… is he really ill? If he is, why did he make the effort to drag himself up to Snape's office? And if he's not… what's he up to? What was he doing at the World Cup that was so important he didn't turn up in the Top Box? What's he been doing while he should have been judging the tournament?" He stared at the wall in front of him as though fascinated by it. Finally, he looked to Ron. "You say your brother s Crouch's personal assistant? Any chance you could ask him if he's seen Crouch lately?"

"I can try," said Ron, though he sounded highly doubtful. "Better not make it sound like I reckon Crouch is up to anything dodgy, though. Percy loves Crouch."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. Really? That's a first. He wouldn't want to meet his brother. "And you might try and find out whether they've got any leads on Bertha Jorkins while you're at it," said Sirius, gesturing to the second copy of the Daily Prophet.

"Bagman told me they hadn't," said Harry.

"Yes, he's quoted in the article in there," said Sirius, nodding at the paper. "Blustering on about how bad Bertha's memory is. Well, maybe she's changed since I knew her, but the Bertha I knew wasn't forgetful at all - quite the reverse."

He couldn't begin to count how many times that he had gotten into trouble when she was around. She loved to stick her nose into other pieces of gossip. Would've made one heck of a reporter if you ask him. "She was a bit dim, but she had an excellent memory for gossip. It used to get her into a lot of trouble; she never knew when to keep her mouth shut. I can see her being a bit of a liability at the Ministry of Magic… maybe that's why Bagman didn't bother to look for her for so long…"

But that was still no excuse to ignore her like this. She might've been in some serious trouble and Bagman was just sitting by twiddling his thumbs. He sighed as he ran his hand over his eyes before he asked, "What's the time?"

"It's half past three," said Hermione and he nodded. It was getting late. If they were here any longer it would get suspicious.

"You'd better get back to school," Sirius said, getting to his feet. "Now listen…"

He wanted Harry to stay longer, but he agreed with Dumbledore. Someone wicked was nearby and he didn't want his godson to take any more risks because of him. "I don't want you lot sneaking out of school to see me, all right? Just send notes to me here. I still want to hear about anything odd. But you're not to go leaving Hogwarts without permission; it would be an ideal opportunity for someone to attack you."

"No one's tried to attack me so far, except a dragon and a couple of grindylows," Harry said calmly but Sirius didn't find this funny at all. "I don't care… I'll breathe freely again when this tournament's over, and that's not until June. And don't forget, if you're talking about me among yourselves, call me Snuffles, okay?"

It was the nickname that the villagers were giving him since one of the residents was highly allergic to dogs and started non-stop sneezing whenever Sirius was around. He personally thought it was hilarious. He handed Harry the empty napkin and flask and went to pat Buckbeak good-bye.

"I'll walk to the edge of the village with you," said Sirius, "see if I can scrounge another paper."

He transformed into the great black dog before they left the cave, and they walked back down the mountainside with him, across the boulder-strewn ground, and back to the stile. Here he allowed each of them to pat him on the head, before turning and setting off at a run around the outskirts of the village. Though he kept the three of them in his sights until they were heading back up the main road to Hogwarts.

Once he was sure that they were back on the grounds he went sniffing around for another paper, his stomach feeling full, he felt better than he had in awhile.

That was when he spotted the man who was allergic to dogs coming out of the same bar he was at earlier. He dog-self grinned; he couldn't help himself and went over to say hi.

**(Sorry for the long wait. But it's not easy trying to get inside Sirius's head and write what he must be feeling. Hope you enjoyed the chapter though.)**


	23. Beginning of the End

_**Chapter 22: Beginning of the End**_

Sirius had taken Dumbledore's advice and snuck into the Hogwarts grounds to be nearby for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. It made him feel better that he was so close by if something were to happen. He settled himself down comfortably in the middle of Hagrid's pumpkin patch, and just listened to Bagman's commentary at the beginning of the task. Soon though, it all turned into a waiting game.

For awhile, everything was going smoothly, maybe a little too smoothly—but he did his best to ignore it. Sirius didn't care if Harry won or lost this stupid tournament, so long as he made it out alive. After a short time however, he heard that Fleur Delacour had been pulled out of the maze unconscious. Soon after that, Viktor Krum was also taken out. Which left this a two horse race… Harry and Diggory were the only ones left. He just had to wait for one of them to find the center of the maze and end this whole then. He waited… and waited…

He waited for what seemed an eternity before he suddenly heard shouting and cries from the Quidditch pitch. It was too far away for him to be able to make anything out. But suddenly, he saw the figure of Mad-Eye Moody half dragging, half carrying someone up to the castle. That was when the shouting got louder.

"He's dead!"

"Cedric Diggory's dead!"

Diggory? The other Hogwarts champion? He was dead?

He got up to his feet and started to make his way to the Quidditch pitch, before he remembered that he couldn't risk it. But what about Harry? Was he safe? What happened in that godforsaken maze?! How could anyone die here?

He lay down, resting his shaggy black head on his crossed paws, but he couldn't sit still for long. He paced up and down the patch, wondering what was happening—feeling as if he was losing his mind. It was awhile later when he spotted Professor McGonagall coming towards Hagrid's hut.

But something was wrong with her. Her eyes were red and she looked like she had been crying. What the hell happened in that maze? She stopped suddenly, realizing how large he was. But Sirius didn't care. He made a whining nose and looked up at her pleadingly, as if hoping that she could tell him what's going on.

"G-good dog," she said shakily, glancing at him as if expecting him to snap and attack her. He slowly and cautiously approached her outstretched hand, and gently nosed it. She sighed, apparently glad to see that he was tame. "Come with me," she said.

Sirius hesitated, but what else could he do? Dumbledore must've sent her to get him so he took a chance and followed her. It didn't take long for him to realize where they were going. It was almost nostalgic to be led by her to Dumbledore's office. He had been there so many times that he recognized the way at once.

They walked up the stone steps and quietly made their way through the familiar winding halls and passageways until they reached the gargoyle that marked the entrance to Dumbledore's study. Professor McGonagall gave the password and started up the winding staircase to the Headmaster's study.

"The Headmaster will be up shortly," she told him and then she walked out, closing the door behind her and shaking her head as if questioning her own sanity for talking to him like he could understand her.

Sirius waited until he was sure that her footsteps were gone before he transformed back into a man. He began to pace the familiar office, but not taking in anything around him. The building cold pressing his heart seems to be echoing around inside him. He shivered and tried to rub his arms in a feeble attempt to warm himself up.

'_What happened out there?'_ he thought for the millionth time. Butterflies of worry churn inside him. Even before this year started, there's been something rotten going on. He remembered reading about the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup, and the strange disappearance of Bertha Jorkins. He also knew that that foul, cowardly Wormtail escaped just months ago, and obviously found Voldemort ages ago. He knew that this tournament must've been a plot to try and kill his godson; but they were so close to the end! How could they have tripped up at the finish line?

Finally, he heard more footsteps and the door opened. He turned to see Harry, pale as death and shaking like a leaf in a strong wind, leaning heavily on Dumbledore's arm. As for Dumbledore, he looks like he has aged another ten years in the last few hours. Without even thinking about it, he almost sprinted to the door and clutched Harry's shoulder tightly, making sure that his body was still alive and whole.

"Harry, are you alright? I knew it-I knew something like this- what happened?" he demanded as he helped Harry into the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk.

"What happened?" he demanded more urgently to Dumbledore. Once Harry was seated Dumbledore gave him a grave look. "It turns out that we've had a spy inside Hogwarts all year, and we never noticed."

"A spy?" Sirius demanded, his thoughts going immediately to Snape.

"Barty Crouch Jr.," Dumbledore answered.

Of all the answers that he was expecting, that name wasn't one of them. He stared at him, "But Crouch's son is dead! I saw them bury him at Azkaban!"

"Not quite, Sirius," Dumbledore said bitterly. "Indeed, you did see the Dementors bury someone that day, but it wasn't who you think. With Polyjuice Potion and Alastor Moody, Barty Crouch was posing as a teacher here and was also the one to put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire."

Sirius opened his mouth but Dumbledore held up a hand to silence him and Fawkes flew over to land on Harry's knees.

"Barty Crouch mother smuggled him out of Azkaban. When she and his father visited him when he was dying, they took Polyjuice Potion and switched places. That gave holds the body of Mrs. Crouch," Dumbledore informed.

"But…" Sirius gasped, trying to make sense of what it was he was saying.

"It's all true," Dumbledore said. "We caught Barty Crouch and used Veritaserum and heard his confession. His father was controlling his son for years with the Imperius Curse all this time and hiding him inside his house. But one day, Bertha Jorkins discovered the secret and Barty put a powerful Memory Charm on her and that's what ruined her memory. But it turns out that the son was also the one who sent the Dark Mark into the sky at the Quidditch World Cup. When Barty found his house-elf Winky at the scene of the crime, he knew at once that his son was there as well. And before that, when Bertha Jorkins went missing last summer, she was captured by Wormtail and tortured into telling them about the tournament and everything else that she knew. Voldemort then went to his house and imprisoned Barty while freeing his son."

Sirius gapped at him.

"What happened to Crouch?" he asked. Though he still hated the man for the injustice that he had done to him, he couldn't help but pity him. Having Voldemort for a house guest…?

"He's dead," Dumbledore sighed as he turned his whole attention to Harry. "But we can talk more about this later."

He watched as Dumbledore went back to his desk and sat down, not once taking his eyes off Harry. As for Harry, he wasn't looking at him, and Sirius knew that his godson was aware of what the headmaster was about to do.

"I need to know what happened after you touched the Portkey in the maze Harry," he asked softly.

Furious, Sirius stepped forward. "We can leave that till morning, can't we, Dumbledore?" He had put a hand on Harry's shoulder, as he glared accusingly at him. He didn't know what was going on, but Harry looked like he had just been through hell! Surly this could've waited until he got some sleep or something? "Let him have a sleep. Let him rest."

But Dumbledore ignored him as he continued to look at Harry. He then leaned forward towards him. With a sigh, Harry looked up into his eyes.

He said very gently, "If I thought I could help you," Harry didn't react at all, but Sirius could tell that he was listening to every word he said. "By putting you into an enchanted sleep and allowing you to postpone the moment when you would have to think about what has happened tonight, I would do it. But I know better. Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you. I ask you to demonstrate your courage one more time. I ask you to tell us what happened."

For a few moments, Harry didn't say a word. But then Fawkes seemed to understand for he let out just a single soft, quavering note. It shivered in the air, and everyone in the room felt something warm and comforting inside them—giving them strength. Harry sat up a little straighter and took a deep breath.

And he listened:

"Me and Cedric both got to the cup at the same time, we decided to take it together… but as soon as we touched it… we were transported somewhere else. We figured out that the cup had been a Portkey… but we didn't know where we were, only that we were far away from the castle. I mean, we couldn't even see the mountains that were around the castle anymore."

"And where were you?" Dumbledore asked softly, taking the words right out of Sirius's mouth.

"A… a graveyard," he stuttered. "It was a dark graveyard… I don't remember to many details about it except that there was an old house on a hill."

Sirius stared at him. A graveyard?

"We didn't know if this was supposed to be part of the task… we pulled out our wands but nothing happened for a few minutes. And then… he came…"

"He?" Sirius asked sharply.

Harry hesitated for a moment before he whispered out, "Wormtail… with Voldemort."

Fury erupted inside him at that. That worthless rat had been there? For his sake, he better not have hurt a hair on Harry's head. If he did, then it would only give him one more reason to kill him.

"And then?" Dumbledore pressed on.

Harry began to shake again. "He said… he said… to _'k-kill the spare.'_"

"I didn't recognize Wormtail at first…" Harry went on. "He was wearing a hood… so I couldn't see his face. But he was carrying some robes with him and I thought that it was a baby or something at first… but that was when my scar started to hurt. It hurt so badly that I couldn't see anything… and then I heard Voldemort… give the order."

He stopped for a moment, taking another deep breath, "When I opened my eyes…"

He didn't say anything, but Sirius didn't need him to. He watched as Harry hands clasped together in his lap and was staring down at them, as though determined to look at anywhere else but up at them. "He—Wormtail—then grabbed me and tied me to a headstone… it read… Tom Riddle…"

Tom Riddle? Sirius raised his eyebrows. Who was that? And why would that matter?

Sirius looked up at Dumbledore in confusion, but Dumbledore's own eyes widened in realization as if he just figured out a complicated puzzle. "He then left me there and left for a moment," he heard Harry's voice continuing. "I tried to pull free, but I couldn't even move. And Voldemort had this huge…" he watched Harry gulped.

"Snake… I don't think that I would've been able to escape with it there watching me. But then Wormtail, he put what I thought was the baby down and went to go and get a giant cauldron. I can't explain how I knew, but I just somehow knew that I didn't want to see what was inside it. I just knew that whatever was in there… couldn't be a good thing. The snake—Nagini—I think he called it, came over and was circling the headstone where I was tied… almost like it was impatient…"

Sirius couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wanted to clamp his hands over his ears and block it all out. This couldn't have really happened tonight! It had to be some kind of nightmare… but he kept listening, and with every word, he felt a little more of his heart shatter.

"He came back with the cauldron, and it was the biggest cauldron I've ever seen and he began working on a potion," Harry croaked out.

Sirius opened his mouth to ask a question, his hand still tight on Harry's shoulder, but Dumbledore held his hand up, and Sirius's voice died in his throat before he could get the words out.

Harry took several calming breaths and said, "I don't know what it was… but it began not only to bubble, but to send out fiery sparks, as though it were on fire. Steam was pouring out… however Wormtail seemed to be going slow because Voldemort, _the thing in the robes, _told him to hurry."

He gulped again, "Then it was ready…"

Once more, Sirius opened his mouth, but Dumbledore shot him a warning look. Quietly, telling him to keep it to himself for now.

"Wormtail had bent down and picked up what was in the bundle, and I saw what it was," Harry was shivering, as though the thought of whatever was in those robes was haunting his mind's eye. "I wish I never did. It was the most horrible creature that I had ever seen in my life. It looked—it looked like…" he seemed to be having trouble trying to describe it. "It looked… kinda like a human baby… but it was… slimy, and burnt… it didn't have hair and the skin was… looking like it was rubbed raw… until it was just a red-black…"

Sirius's nose wrinkled in disgust and he sick to his stomach thinking of it.

"The thing seemed almost helpless," Harry whispered, "Because Wormtail had to pick it up and put it into the cauldron. I remember hearing it hiss before it sank in… I silently begged that the creature would drown as Wormtail raised his wand and shouted out the words… I think he said… _'Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!'_ or something like that."

Sirius was shaking his head, tightening his hand on his godson's shoulder so much that he was starting to worry that he might end up breaking the skin.

"That was when the ground at my feet had cracked and dust rose into the air before falling into the cauldron. The surface of the water hissed and it turned blue. At this point, Wormtail pulled out a dagger and sobbed out, _'Flesh of the servant willingly given you will revive your master.'_"

Harry was now shaking worse than ever, "He then held up his right hand, and…"

No one said a word, trying to digest what Wormtail had done.

"I had my eyes shut," he muttered, determined not to say what happened, "And I heard him add it to the cauldron to. That was when the potion had turned a blood red. I could hear Wormtail crying in pain, but it wasn't until I felt his breath on my face did I know that he was right in front of me. He choked out the words, 'B-blood of the enemy… forcibly taken… you will… resurrect your foe.'There wasn't anything that I could do to stop him. I was tied to the grave as he raised the dagger and pressed the point into my right arm. I could feel my blood seeping down as Wormtail pulled out a vial and caught a few drops of it…"

That was too much for Sirius. At that he started shouting and cursing as loudly as he could and he didn't stop until he realized that Dumbledore just hurried around the desk and other to Harry. To think that pathetic slimeball went and did something so evil as this to his best friend's son! There really was no humanity in that rat now. "Show me your arm, Harry," he heard Dumbledore's voice.

He looked down in time to see Harry pulled back the sleeve of his robes, and there was the still bleeding cut, just below his elbow.

"He said my blood would make him stronger than if he'd used someone else's," Harry told him hurriedly. "He said the protection my - my mother left in me - he'd have it too. And he was right - he could touch me without hurting himself, he touched my face."

Sirius could only stare at it, his fury building up until he wanted to explode. Right now, all he wanted was Wormtail here so that he could take that knife and stab him over and over. Dumbledore choose at that moment to go and sit down again.

"Very well," he said, sitting down again. "Voldemort has overcome that particular barrier. Harry, continue, please."

Harry looked back down at Fawkes and seemed to be speaking more to the phoenix, than to them. "Once he was done with me, he turned back to the cauldron, with my blood this time, and poured it in. The red potion had turned white and Wormtail fell to his knees and cried as he held the bleeding stump of an arm to him. The potion in the meantime was sending sparks everywhere. But still nothing happened…"

"Finally, white steam appeared and covered everything like a thick fog so that I couldn't see anything that wasn't within a foot of me. And then… I saw him."

He was now shaking so badly that it was causing Fawkes to shake on his knee.

"Through the mist, I could see him rising out of the cauldron…" Harry gulped. "Then he told Wormtail to show him his arm…"

Sirius was now also starting to shake—but in anger. "He showed him the Dark Mark… and he touched it. I… I don't remember what he said word-for-word…"

"Just tell us as much as you can remember," Dumbledore said gently.

"He… he wondered how many would show up," he whispered croakily, continuing talking to Fawkes. "How many would be too afraid to come or stay away. He talked about his father for a minute, telling him that he was a Muggle and that he used to live in that village… He kept talking about getting revenge on his father for that name…"

Sirius blinked in astonishment. So Voldemort was only a half-blood? But he was hated half-bloods! Well, he wondered what his 'beloved' cousin would think if she ever found this out.

"And then the Death Eaters all came in," he went on, Sirius's breathing hitched and felt as if his heart was being squeezed.

"And what happened then?" he asked softly, not surprised that he was whispering.

Harry didn't seem to be able to speak. It was as if the words were caught in his throat and he was shaking worse than ever. Sirius wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn't find the words. He was just as lost as his godson was. But then Fawkes let out a single note. Harry's shaking stopped slightly and he continued speaking to him, "They all stood in a circle around us. I couldn't see their faces, but Voldemort called them by name."

Sirius's grip just got tighter.

"He gave a speech," Harry went on. "He said… it was like he was disappointed in them. He asked, _how could they believe I could not rise again. They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death?_ Those were the words I think he said. After that, he said that he always awards his helpers and gave Wormtail a silver hand."

Sirius was grinding his teeth together.

"What else?" Dumbledore pressed on and Sirius wanted to shake him. Harry sighed. "He talked to Lucius Malfoy. He was there. And it turns out that he was one of the Death Eaters at the World Cup and ran when he saw the Dark Mark."

"I see," Dumbledore whispered softly.

That was all he could say? Harry was almost killed here! He was surrounded by Death Eaters and the embodiment of all evil and all he could say was 'I see'? Oh, he was close to cursing him out but Harry was speaking again.

"He said that he was going to give him the lead spot of M-muggle-torture," he stuttered on the last part and Sirius's other hand was clenched in anger. He would personally see to it that won't ever happen.

"He also talked a little bit about the Lestrange," at this Sirius shut his eyes—ashamed at the reminder of what kind of family that he had been born into. "He said that _they will be honored beyond their dreams. The dementors will join us… they are our natural allies… _and he talked about the giants. He said, '_we will recall the banished giants_…'"

"Who else?" Sirius asked, making mental notes.

"Macnair," he went on wearily. "The one who tried to execute Buckbeak. Voldemort said that he'll _'have better victims soon.' _There was also Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott… though he didn't talk to them so much. Then he went on saying that there were six Death Eaters missing. Three were dead, one to cowardly to return and he'll pay…"

'_Karkaroff,'_ he thought. Well, he couldn't blame him for running away. After selling out other Death Eaters, then he guessed that his only hope for survival is to leave.

"And then there was one who left forever and that he'll be killed. And finally, his most faithful servant, Crouch," he stopped there for a moment, "Was at Hogwarts."

Sirius started cursing again.

"He—Voldemort—also went on explaining to the Death Eaters what happened to him," Harry went on. "He said… t-the night that he tried to kill me, my… my mother stopped him."

His eyes looked rather watery, but he kept going a little quicker—"And that because of that, he couldn't touch me. But…"

"But now he can," Dumbledore finished for him softly.

Harry nodded. "And then he went into this long speech. He said, _'I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost… but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know… I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal - to conquer death.'"_

Sirius wanted to tear his hair out. He couldn't take what he was listening to, but he couldn't bring himself to stop.

"He talked about how his experiments had kept him alive, even though when the curse rebounded, it should've," Harry spoke. "He talked for some time,_ 'I was as powerless as the weakest creature alive, and without the means to help myself… for I had no body, and every spell that might have helped me required the use of a wand…' _He then talked about how he hid in Albania, expecting his Death Eaters to come and find him. But no one came. The Death Eaters weren't happy about that."

"Do you remember what he said, Harry?" Dumbledore asked and Sirius wondered why this was important at the moment.

"He could possess others," he shuddered. "He didn't go where other people were, because of the Aurors lurking everywhere. But he mostly possessed animals—snakes he said. But he went on to say that his possession of them always shortened their lives. He then mentioned Quirrell."

"Who?" Sirius barked in confusion.

"One of his servants who tried to steal the Sorcerer's Stone four years ago," Dumbledore explained without looking at him. "Voldemort had possessed him to get into the school… he's dead now. Most likely because of the possession. Now, what else did he say?"

"That he found him and how he used him to try and get the stone but was… stopped," Harry said, not looking at Sirius and he knew that he was missing something important here. "And that he died when he left his body. When he did, he was as weak as ever so he was forced to return to Albania after that. Just when he gave up hope that anyone would find him, Wormtail did."

A deep growl was sounding from Sirius's throat as his fingers flexed angrily. If only he had ripped out Wormtail's throat when he had the chance.

"Wormtail had found him with the help of rats… but he stopped at an inn for some food one night, and…"

"And he found Bertha Jorkins," Dumbledore finished softly.

So that idiot was now responsible for the deaths of more old schoolmates.

"Wormtail brought Bertha Jorkins to him. And that was how he found out about the tournament," Harry said. "You heard it from—Crouch downstairs. How he found out about Crouch's son still alive and at his father's house; he broke the Memory Charm that Crouch put on her and… and…" he said shakily. "He said that he damaged her beyond repair."

Dumbledore closed his eyes. "And he killed her."

"Yes," Harry mumbled softly. "Wormtail brought him back to this country and had been able to take care of him so that he had been able to return to… to a sort of body of his own…"

That was where Harry seemed to be having difficulty finding his voice. He was shaking worse than ever. "Spells of his own invention he said with help from Nagini—the snake," he added and he nodded. "He said, _'A potion concocted from unicorn blood, and the snake venom Nagini provided… I was soon returned to an almost human form, and strong enough to travel.'_ He knew that the stone was destroyed but with the information he got from Bertha Jorkins, he came up with a new plan."

"The tournament," Sirius said angrily. "But why you?"

"I think he said, _'it was an old piece of Dark Magic, the potion that revived me tonight - I would need three powerful ingredients. Well, one of them was already at hand. _Flesh given by a servant… so he had Wormtail. Bone from the father… so that was why they went to where he was buried… but he said that he wanted my blood because the protection my mother gave me, he'd have it to," Harry said, now sounding angry. And Sirius was glad to see that he wasn't the only one here angry. He was worried that the shock might've permanently effected Harry's emotions.

"He talked about how he used Bertha Jorkin's information to get to his servant to get my name into the Goblet of Fire. Crouch made sure that I won in the maze by clearing most of the challenges out of my way." As if he just remembered something, he looked up at them and said, "Before you stunned Crouch's son earlier, he told me that he stunned Fleur in the maze, and used the Imperius Curse on Viktor so that he could… take care of… Cedric."

The name seemed to be painful for him, but Dumbledore was giving him a gentle look. "Miss Delacour and Mr. Krum are both safe and sound," he assured him and Sirius nodded at his side, remembering the broadcast while he sat in the pumpkin patch. "They were pulled out of the maze—stunned, but nevertheless, they are alive and well."

Harry nodded in relief and continued, "Voldemort said that he wanted to prove to his Death Eaters that he was the stronger one…"

"What do you mean?" Sirius demanded at once.

"He… he had Wormtail untie me… and duel me."

Sirius was staring at him. No… he didn't…

"Are you serious?" Sirius whispered. Harry had hugged himself tightly, as though he was cold—or as if he was trying to stop himself from trembling. Choosing not to answer the question, he said as if no one had said anything, "Wormtail untied me… and gave me back my wand. I thought about running for it… but…"

Sirius felt as if the world was falling away as he listened.

"He was toying with me," Harry croaked out, shutting his eyes as if ashamed. "He made me bow to him… it was like he was playing a game."

Sirius felt nothing but fury welling up inside and he was shaking from rage. He was almost afraid to hear more.

"I didn't know what to do," Harry almost gasped out, "I… I was just so… helpless… I knew that I was going to die…" Sirius's hand tighten on his shoulder as he also began shaking horribly. "I just… I faced him and… I just cried out the first spell that came into my head. Expelliarmus… and he used it… Avada Kedavra… but… I don't know what happened, but the wands… connected I guess."

"Connected?" Dumbledore repeated softly.

"A jet of green light from Voldemorts wand just as a jet of red light blasted from mine," he explained, "And when they met in midair there was a deep gold light connecting them…"

He trailed off here, as though unable to go on.

Sirius broke the silence.

"The wands connected?" he said, looking from Harry to him. "Why?"

Dumbledore merely continued to stare at Harry as if he had never seen him clearly before now. Sirius couldn't help but wonder just what was going on inside this man's head.

"Priori Incantatem," he muttered.

"The Reverse Spell effect?" said Sirius sharply, what would that have anything to do with?

"Exactly," he answered and then he explained where the cores of the two wands came from.

"My wand's feather came from Fawkes?" Harry gasped, amazed.

"Yes," he answered. "Mr. Ollivander wrote to tell me you had bought the second wand, the moment you left his shop four years ago."

"So what happens when a wand meets its brother?" Sirius asked. He was both amazed and horrified to learn that Harry and Voldemort have brother wands.

"They will not work properly against each other," he explained. "If, however, the owners of the wands force the wands to do battle… a very rare effect will take place. One of the wands will force the other to regurgitate spells it has performed - in reverse. The most recent first… and then those which preceded it… Which means," he said slowly, his eyes still upon Harry's face, "that some form of Cedric must have reappeared."

Harry nodded again, before he looked back down at the floor so that he was unable to see anything more.

"Diggory came back to life?" said Sirius sharply. That couldn't be possible.

"No spell can reawaken the dead," he sighed heavily and Sirius felt as if a balloon had burst from inside him. He already knew that, but he couldn't help but think that… he shook his head, trying to get those thoughts out of his head. It wasn't going to do any good wishing for a miracle like that. "All that would have happened is a kind of reverse echo. A shadow of the living Cedric would have emerged from the wand… am I correct, Harry?"

"He spoke to me," he whispered, his hands gripping his robes tightly. "Th… the ghost Cedric, or whatever he was, spoke."

"An echo," he explained, "which retained Cedric's appearance and character. I am guessing other such forms appeared… less recent victims of Voldemort's wand…"

"An old man," he croaked. "Bertha Jorkins. And…"

"Your parents?" he guessed quietly.

"Yes," said Harry so softly that he could barely hear him. Sirius was now hiding his face in his other hand, fighting the tears of longing to see his friends again.

"The last murders the wand performed," he said. "In reverse order. More would have appeared, of course, had you maintained the connection. Very well, Harry, these echoes, these shadows… what did they do?"

For a moment, he wasn't sure that Harry was going to be able to answer, but thankfully, Fawkes chose that moment to rub his head against Harry's pale hand. Harry took a few calming breaths, and continued speaking directly to Fawkes, "We were suddenly lifted into the air and being carried away… with our wands still connected. The Death Eaters were all screaming for orders… but Voldemort told them not to do anything until he commanded them. That's when light came shining out and it was like we were in a golden web—or a cage I guess. Then I heard singing…" Harry said, now stroking his feathers. "I heard it before… phoenix song."

"It was as if it was speaking to me," Harry went on, gently stroking the phoenix's feathers, "As if telling me not to break the connection… and… I don't know what made me do it…"

"I didn't know what was going to happen… but Voldemort was trying to push the light down to my wand… i-it suddenly g-got so hot…" Harry stuttered. "It felt that my wand would break if it touched… I knew I'd never survive without it and I just… concentrated on pushing back…"

What the hell was happening? Sirius had no clue to any of this.

"It… the light connected I guess. That was when I heard screams coming from the wand…" Harry said thinking it over. "Then… it was like the ghost of the hand came out… Wormtail's new hand. Then there were more screams… and then… Cedric…"

"His shadow one could say," Dumbledore said softly.

Harry could only shrug. "He slowly came out of the wand and then talked to me… he told me to hang on…" his lower lip trembled a little. "His voice… sounded like it came from far away. I think… I think Voldemort was afraid of him. After that, the old man appeared… I remember now… I saw him in a dream," Harry mumbled. "He was killed by Voldemort over the summer."

What old man? Couldn't someone explain all this in a way that made sense?

"He then told me to keep fighting," Harry said softly. "And then Bertha Jorkins came out. She said that I shouldn't let him get to me… to keep fighting. That was when she and the others were pacing around the inner walls of the web. They kept telling me that I was going to be ok… and that I could take him. I couldn't hear what they said to Voldemort though. That was when…" Harry seemed to choke. He didn't need to say it.

"Your mother?" he asked softly. Harry's face was down so he couldn't see anything, but his emotional voice gave away what he was feeling. But at the mention of Lily, Sirius had to bite his lip to keep himself from crying out. "She said… she said that my dad wanted to see me… she told me that it was going to be alright… that was when _he_ came…"

At the mention of James, it was all he could do to keep the wall of emotions from bursting out of him. He felt his nails clawing at his face as he tried to focus only on the pain on the outside rather than the ones in his heart that were slowly killing him.

"He said that when the connection was broken, they'll be able to give me time to run to the Portkey and that it will take me back to Hogwarts. That was when Cedric gave me his last… request," Harry finished.

He fell silent at those words. Sirius was hiding his face, fighting the tears and the urge to rip his own heart out so that he wouldn't have to feel anything anymore.

"I will say it again," Dumbledore said standing up and looking at Harry with a new respect. "You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you tonight Harry. You have shown bravery equal to those who died fighting Voldemort at the height of his powers. You have shouldered a grown wizard's burden and found yourself equal to it - and you have now given us all we have a right to expect."

Sirius was breathing hard now, trying not to cry. He couldn't have agreed more.

"You will come with me to the hospital wing. I do not want you returning to the dormitory tonight. A Sleeping Potion, and some peace…" he turned to Sirius and asked, "Sirius, would you like to stay with him?"

What did the old man take him for? Of course he wanted to be with Harry! How could he not after hearing the hell that he went through just now? But rather than say all this, Sirius nodded and transformed back into the great black dog and walked with them out of the office, accompanying them down a flight of stairs to the hospital wing. Harry no longer had to lean on him, but he still rocked slightly from side to side as he walked, one hand resting reassuringly on Sirius's back.

Maybe it was the influence his dog self had on his human self… but he wanted to howl in misery at that moment as soon as he felt Harry's weak hand.


	24. Goodbye for Now

_**Chapter 23: Goodbye for Now**_

No one made a sound as Dumbledore led the way down the hall and reached the hospital. But as soon as he opened the door, the first thing that Sirius saw was Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were standing there with two others with bright red hair. He knew them at once… this must be Ron's mother and one of his many brothers… he remembered seeing them in that newspaper clipping.

The four of them were standing around Madam Pomfrey, who was looking angrier and angrier by the second. But as soon as they entered, they all turned to look at who it was. And as soon as she saw Harry, the mother screamed out, "Harry! Oh Harry!"

She started to hurry toward him, but then Dumbledore stepped in quickly. He held up his hand and told her, "Molly, please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me. What he needs now is sleep, and peace, and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him," he added, looking around at the others, "you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening."

The woman named Molly grew almost as pale as Harry as she nodded in acceptance. And as if she was looking for a way to vent some of her frustration, she turned to the other three and he heard her hiss, "Did you hear? He needs quiet!"

"Headmaster," Poppy asked, glancing down at him as if she thought he would bite. Dumbledore then told her that he would be with Harry for a little while and that he was extremely well trained.

He had to fight a laugh. If she only knew…

Dumbledore left not long after that and Harry soon got into bed. Sirius walked over to his side and sat there watching him. He had every intention of staying here until Harry went back to the Dursleys. He laid his chin up on the blankets as he watched him drink the potion, his godson was asleep before his head even hit the pillows.

Once his eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply, Sirius sighed unhappily. He moved away so that he could lay down on the floor and mused over everything that Harry told him just now. As if knowing how he felt, Hermione reached down and patted the spot between his shoulders and whispered, "He'll be ok."

Oh, he knew that physically, he would be. Madam Pomfrey would take good care of him—after all, she took care of Moony for all those years. No, it was the scars that no one could see that he was worried about.

How was Harry supposed to handle this? He was just a kid… sure he escaped Voldemort more than once, but after everything here… he wasn't so sure what to do.

Ron was staring at his best friend's sleeping face as his mother reached over and gently took off Harry's glasses and put them on the table next to him. It was startling to see him sleeping like that—for a brief second, he looked like a little kid, who just had a nightmare and was now sleeping peacefully again. If only he could just tell him that it was just a bad dream…

"What do you think happened?" Ron asked softly. "He was a mess when they brought him in."

"I don't know," Hermione said anxiously. "But whatever it was, had to have been really serious. He's been in that maze for hours."

The maze? No, Harry hadn't been in there…

Sirius sighed, knowing that he didn't fancy anyone telling them what _really_ happened.

***Later***

It was only a couple hours later did something else happen. Sirius had been laying there, listening to the others whisper to each other on what could have happened, not coming anywhere near to the truth, when they suddenly heard a roar of shouting from beneath them.

"They'll wake him if they don't shut up!" Molly hissed, glaring at the door. "What are they shouting about? Nothing else can have happened, can it?"

Sirius raised his head a little so that he could also hear what was happening.

"That's Fudge's voice," Molly asked and Bill nodded with her. "And that's Minerva McGonagall's, isn't it? But what are they arguing about?"

He didn't know, but they all sounded pretty angry—the shouting was getting louder and he could hear the footsteps of people coming towards them.

"Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva -"

His body tensed up at the thought of the Minister coming in here, but he stood his ground.

"You should never have brought it inside the castle!" yelled a familiar voice. He was used to hearing Professor McGonagall screaming at him and James from the good old days, but he had never heard her sound as angry as she did right now. "When Dumbledore finds out -"

Brought what into the castle? When Dumbledore finds out what? What else could have happened?

He stood up on his thin legs and turned to the door, his fur standing up on end—readying himself for anything. The doors burst open at that moment and there was Fudge came striding up the ward with McGonagall and—he bared his teeth—Snape with him.

"Where's Dumbledore?" Fudge demanded.

"He's not here," Molly snapped back angrily and he felt a little respect for her rise at her complete lack of fear. "This is a hospital wing. Minister, don't you think you'd do better to -"

But before she could finish, the door burst open again and Dumbledore came sweeping up the ward.

He looked angry as he glanced at them all, looking at them as a parent would to children who were being too loud. "What has happened? Why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I'm surprised at you - I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch -"

Sirius suddenly felt a longing to bite at that name.

"There is no need to stand guard over him anymore, Dumbledore!" Professor McGonagall shrieked at once, pointing a shaking hand at Fudge. "The Minister has seen to that!"

He stopped at that. It was the first time he had ever seen her lose complete control of her anger like this. Yes, he had seen her angry—but this was more than anger. This was fury… her face was red, her hands were fists, and she was trembling with rage.

Suddenly Snape walked forward, looking angry as well, "When we told Mr. Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events, he seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch -"

Sirius felt his whole body began to shake. Whether it was from anger or fear, he didn't know, but the thought of one of those things near him again caused him to start trembling.

"I told him you would not agree, Dumbledore!" McGonagall shouted, "I told him you would never allow dementors to set foot inside the castle, but -"

"My dear woman!" roared Fudge in fury, "as Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous -"

But he didn't get to finish for McGonagall suddenly shouted over Fudge, pointing a shaking hand at him as she croaked out, "The moment that - that thing entered the room it swooped down on Crouch and - and -"

But he didn't need her to finish as she struggled to find words. He knew… he knew what the dementor must have done. It had administered its fatal kiss to Barty Crouch. It had sucked his soul out through his mouth. He was worse than dead.

"By all accounts, he is no loss!" blustered Fudge.

'_Yeah,'_ Sirius thought angrily. _'Why not just give to Kiss to everyone? That'll fix everything won't it?'_

Now he loathed the whole Crouch family—for what Crouch Sr. did to him, and what Crouch Jr. did to his godson. But now he didn't forget how close he had been to suffering that same fate and he wouldn't wish that on anyone… well, except Voldemort… if he still had a soul after all that he did.

"It seems he has been responsible for several deaths'!"

Wondering how Dumbledore would react to that, Sirius looked up and could see that his old Headmaster was now looking had him long and hard as if seeing him in a whole new light. "But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius. He cannot give evidence about why he killed those people."

"Why he killed them? Well, that's no mystery, is it?" blustered Fudge again. "He was a raving lunatic! From what Minerva and Severus have told me, he seems to have thought he was doing it all on You-Know-Who's instructions!"

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed a little and then said slowly and carefully, so that there was no chance for Fudge to misunderstand. "Lord Voldemort was giving him instructions, Cornelius. Those peoples deaths were mere by-products of a plan to restore Voldemort to full strength again. The plan succeeded. Voldemort has been restored to his body."

Looking over to Fudge, he felt the need to sneer as he watched Fudge opened his mouth as if he was about to argue again until his jaw dropped open in horror at his words. He looked as if someone had just tried to deliver a knock-out punch to him as he staggered slightly where he stood and stared at him as if he was sure that he had lost his mind.

Finally, he was able to stutter weakly, "You-Know-Who… returned? Preposterous. Come now, Dumbledore…"

"As Minerva and Severus have doubtless told you," he said with a nod towards them, "we heard Barty Crouch confess. Under the influence of Veritaserum, he told us how he was smuggled out of Azkaban, and how Voldemort – learning of his continued existence from Bertha Jorkins - went to free him from his father and used him to capture Harry. The plan worked, I tell you. Crouch has helped Voldemort to return."

Suddenly a small smile appeared on Fudge's face and Sirius was now seriously wondering if there was something wrong with this man's brain, or what was left of it. "See here, Dumbledore, you - you can't seriously believe that You-Know-Who - back? Come now, come now… certainly, Crouch may have believed himself to be acting upon You-Know-Who's orders - but to take the word of a lunatic like that, Dumbledore…"

Dumbledore shook his head and explained slowly to him, "When Harry touched the Triwizard Cup tonight, he was transported straight to Voldemort. He witnessed Lord Voldemort's rebirth. I will explain it all to you if you will step up to my office."

Dumbledore looked at Harry, and then shook his head and told him firmly, with no hint of relenting, "I am afraid I cannot permit you to question Harry tonight."

Fudge's only continued with the mad smile before he also glanced at Harry before he glanced back at him to ask, "You are - er - prepared to take Harry's word on this, are you, Dumbledore?"

There was a moment's silence, which was broken by Sirius growling. His hackles were raised, and he was baring his teeth at Fudge,_ 'How dare you? You think that he's lying? Do you have any idea to what he'd been through tonight?!'_

He was longing to lunge forward and to bite Fudge's leg, but before he could, Dumbledore said, "Certainly, I believe Harry." And he was now sounding angry, "I heard Crouch's confession, and I heard Harry's account of what happened after he touched the Triwizard Cup; the two stories make sense, they explain everything that has happened since Bertha Jorkins disappeared last summer."

Fudge still had that strange smile on his face, still not believing him. Once again, he glanced at Harry before answering, "You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, on the word of a lunatic murderer, and a boy who… well…"

Sirius tilted his head. What was he about to say? Suddenly he heard Harry's voice which caused him to jump in surprise. "You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr. Fudge."

"And if I have?" Fudge demanded, looking at him accusingly. "If I have discovered that you've been keeping certain facts about the boy very quiet? A Parselmouth, eh? And having funny turns all over the place -"

Sirius's eyes widened. What? Harry… his godson was a Parselmouth? How was that even possible? But he didn't have time to dwell on that for Dumbledore answered, "I assume that you are referring to the pains Harry has been experiencing in his scar?"

"You admit that he has been having these pains, then?" Fudge demanded quickly. "Headaches? Nightmares? Possibly - hallucinations?"

Sirius stepped forward, his anger now starting to spill over, and apparently, he wasn't the only one.

"Listen to me, Cornelius," Dumbledore said. "Harry is as sane as you or I. That scar upon his forehead has not addled his brains. I believe it hurts him when Lord Voldemort is close by, or feeling particularly murderous."

Fudge had taken half a step back from him but he still kept fighting back, refusing to give in, "You'll forgive me, Dumbledore, but I've never heard of a curse scar acting as an alarm bell before…"

Well that would be because there has never been a scar like Harry's before has there? But Harry suddenly started shouting.

"Look, I saw Voldemort come back!" He tried to get out of bed again, but Molly was preventing him from moving. "I saw the Death Eaters! I can give you their names! Lucius Malfoy -"

Sirius eyes narrowed. This wasn't helping.

"Malfoy was cleared!" said Fudge, visibly affronted, "A very old family - donations to excellent causes -"

'_That's because it covers up the stench of murder,'_ he thought, remembering what Harry said how the Malfoy's were behind what happened at the World Cup and how he was now in charge of Muggle torturing.

"Macnair!" Harry continued.

"Also cleared! Now working for the Ministry!"

To protect himself maybe? Sirius snorted. How thick was this man. Anyone with a brain could see that this was just a way to stay out of prison.

"Avery - Nott - Crabbe - Goyle -"

Dumbledore finally shot Harry a warning look as Fudge cried out furiously, "You are merely repeating the names of those who were acquitted of being Death Eaters thirteen years ago! You could have found those names in old reports of the trials! For heavens sake, Dumbledore!" he cried, turning back to Dumbledore. "The boy was full of some crackpot story at the end of last year too - his tales are getting taller, and you're still swallowing them - the boy can talk to snakes. Dumbledore, and you still think he's trustworthy?"

'_So what if he can talk to snakes?'_ Sirius thought. He wanted to change back so that he could give Fudge a piece of his mind, but he knew that would be a bad idea. He didn't know how it was possible that Harry could talk to snakes, but he didn't care. It didn't change anything to him.

Thankfully, McGonagall voiced some of what he wanted to say, "You fool! Cedric Diggory! Mr. Crouch! These deaths were not the random work of a lunatic!"

"I see no evidence to the contrary!" shouted Fudge, now matching her anger, his face purpling—downright refusing to see all the evidence that was right in front of him. "It seems to me that you are all determined to start a panic that will destabilize everything we have worked for these last thirteen years!"

He growled again, _'It's the truth! If you pull your head out of your arse, and get to work, we might be able to stop him!'_

"Voldemort has returned," Dumbledore repeated loudly. "If you accept that fact straightaway Fudge, and take the necessary measures, we may still be able to save the situation. The first and most essential step is to remove Azkaban from the control of the dementors -"

Sirius nodded firmly with that idea, but Fudge wouldn't listen. Kept blabbing on and on about how they felt safe knowing that dementors are standing guard. Yeah, well, that's easy for him to say. He didn't have to live with them.

"The rest of us sleep less soundly in our beds, Cornelius, knowing that you have put Lord Voldemort's most dangerous supporters in the care of creatures who will join him the instant he asks them!" he said firmly, reminding him that dementors show no loyalty to anyone. You think that after seeing what that thing did to Crouch Jr. would make him rethink things.

"They will not remain loyal to you, Fudge! Voldemort can offer them much more scope for their powers and their pleasures than you can! With the dementors behind him, and his old supporters returned to him, you will be hard-pressed to stop him regaining the sort of power he had thirteen years ago!"

Sirius knew what he meant. Dementors align themselves with the strongest, and there was no chance in hell that they would work for some idiot like Fudge when Voldemort could give them so much more. He remembered the fear and panic that had been bred during the first war when those monsters were being put to use.

"The second step you must take - and at once," Dumbledore went on, bringing Fudge out of his stunned silence, "is to send envoys to the giants."

'_Oh, he'll love that idea,'_ Sirius thought sarcastically. And, sure enough…

"Envoys to the giants?" Fudge shrieked, remembering how to speak again. "What madness is this?"

'_Well, Dumbledore may be mad, but he's right a lot of times__,'_Sirius thought bitterly before Dumbledore further explained about the damage that they could do if Voldemort gets to them first.

"You - you cannot be serious!" Fudge gasped, shaking his head and retreating further from him as if afraid that he would catch some disease. "If the magical community got wind that I had approached the giants - people hate them, Dumbledore - end of my career -"

Now Sirius was very close to sinking his teeth into his leg. That was what he was concerned about? His job? When so many people were now at terrible risk?! After the hell that his godson had been forced to go through tonight? To just brush it all off like nothing happened?!

"You are blinded," Dumbledore cried out, close to yelling, "by the love of the office you hold, Cornelius! You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!"

Yeah, and look at who Fudge keeps as friends… Ministry officials who were practically screaming out _'I'm a Death Eater!_' What an idiot.

"Your dementor has just destroyed the last remaining member of a pure-blood family as old as any - and see what that man chose to make of his life!" he cried out.

Now that was a good argument.

"I tell you now- take the steps I have suggested, and you will be remembered, in office or out, as one of the bravest and greatest Ministers of Magic we have ever known. Fail to act - and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!"

"Insane," whispered Fudge, still backing away. "Mad…"

Sirius stood his ground and refused to move from his godson's side as he growled at Fudge—now aching for a chance to tear him apart.

Dumbledore walked forward slowly and then said in a soft voice, "If your determination to shut your eyes will carry you as far as this, Cornelius, we have reached a parting of the ways. You must act as you see fit. And I - I shall act as I see fit."

"Now, see here, Dumbledore," he said, waving a threatening finger. "I've given you free rein, always. I've had a lot of respect for you. I might not have agreed with some of your decisions, but I've kept quiet. There aren't many who'd have let you hire werewolves, or keep Hagrid,"

Sirius felt his eyes narrow in anger. There wasn't anything wrong with Moony or Hagrid. He was now almost wishing that he go too far so that he could attack.

"Or decide what to teach your students without reference to the Ministry. But if you're going to work against me -"

But Dumbledore merely shook his head. "The only one against whom I intend to work," he reminded him, "is Lord Voldemort. If you are against him, then we remain, Cornelius, on the same side."

Sirius fought a snort. An enemy to their enemy doesn't make them a friend. But it seemed Fudge could think of no answer to this. He rocked backward and forward on his small feet for a moment and spun his stupid hat in his hands. Finally, he said, with a hint of a plea in his voice, "He can't be back, Dumbledore, he just can't be…"

To Sirius's surprise, it was Severus who defended him. He walked up and pulled his sleeve up so that they could all see the disgusting mark on his arm and he suddenly remembered what Harry told him when he saw him during that Hogsmeade visit about Snape showing something on his arm to Karkaroff.

"There," he snapped harshly. "There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago, when it burned black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to Disapparate, and Apparate, instantly, at his side. This Mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight?"

Why wasn't he surprised that the coward took off?

"We both felt the Mark burn. We both knew he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold."

Sirius glared at Snape… all the more proof that he couldn't be trusted. How could anyone trust someone who wears that mark? A mark that was responsible for killing countless innocent people… the same symbol that was used to kill Lily and James…?

Fudge stepped back from them all, shaking his head at the mark before he said, "I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, Dumbledore, but I have heard enough. I have no more to add. I will be in touch with you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss the running of this school. I must return to the Ministry."

He stayed just long enough to drop a large bag of coins at Harry's table; before he went stomping out of the room, slamming the door behind him. But Sirius knew better than anyone that Harry wouldn't want that money. It was nothing but a reminder of everything that happened tonight.

Dumbledore was shaking his head at the closed door before he looked back to the others and said at once, "There is work to be done. Molly… am I right in thinking that I can count on you and Arthur?"

"Of course you can," Ron's mother said at once, her face was still pale but determined as she looked up at him. "We know what Fudge is. It's Arthur's fondness for Muggles that has held him back at the Ministry all these years. Fudge thinks he lacks proper wizarding pride."

Dumbledore nodded to her before he then said, "Then I need to send a message to Arthur. All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately, and he is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as shortsighted as Cornelius."

'_Good luck with that,' _Sirius thought dully.

"I'll go to Dad," the tall Weasley offered. "I'll go now."

"Excellent," Dumbledore said, looking relieved. "Tell him what has happened. Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet, however. If Fudge thinks I am interfering at the Ministry -"

"Leave it to me," he said as he got up, said goodbye to the others and left the room. When he was gone, Dumbledore turned to McGonagall and told her that he wanted to see Hagrid, and Madame Maxime, in his office if they were willing.

Having a sneaking suspicion to what he was going to ask the pair, he watched as Minerva nodded in understanding and left. But he was a little surprised to see him ask Madam Pomfrey to see to the house-elf named Winky. He watched as she left, and how Dumbledore went to shut the door and turned to him.

"And now," he said, in a brave tone, "it is time for two of our number to recognize each other for what they are. Sirius… if you could resume your usual form."

Sirius blinked in surprise, but looking up at Dumbledore he decided to trust him here. Though in his dog from, he have to firmly control the instinct to bite Snape. He changed back…

Predictably, Molly started to scream until Ron told her to shut up. She stopped, but was now staring at him with her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide. He ignored her as she hovered protectively over the trio as if she thought that he would snap and attack them at any moment.

As for Snape…

"Him!" Snape snarled, staring at Sirius, whose face showed just as much hatred. He wished that he had a wand in his hands as well… what he wouldn't give to be able to curse this sniveling little…

"What is he doing here?"

"He is here at my invitation," Dumbledore said firmly, "as are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you to lay aside your old differences and trust each other."

He was kidding right? He didn't stop glaring at Snape, readying himself for whatever the snake had to throw at him.

"I will settle, in the short term," Dumbledore said firmly, sounding impatient, "for a lack of open hostility. You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth do not stand united, there is no hope for any us."

Shake hands? With Snape? A small part of him knew that it was for the best, but his more childish part of his mind says that he rather die. But, with Dumbledore watching, he swallowed his pride and quickly shook hands. He let go as quickly as possible and suppress the urge to wipe his hand on his dirty robes. Snape looked as though he had the same idea as he watched his hands twitch.

"That will do to be going on with," Dumbledore spoke up as he stepped, between them once more. "Now I have work for each of you. Fudge's attitude, though not unexpected, changes everything."

Sirius looked up at him as he told him to go and contact all the other members of 'the old crowd' and to hide out at Remus's until further notice. Sirius's ears perked up at hearing Moony's name, and was wanting a chance to see him again… but…

"But -" Harry's voice interrupted them, voicing what he was feeling. Sirius swallowed hard, turning to Harry to try and reassure him, telling him that he will see him soon.

"You'll see me very soon. Harry," said Sirius, his heart aching at the thought of saying goodbye again. "I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?"

"Yeah," said Harry, but his eyes were sad. "Yeah… of course I do."

Knowing that if he stayed any longer, he would change his mind. So he walked over to him and grasped his hand briefly, but tightly. Trying to silently tell him how proud he was of him… how much he cared for him… and how sorry he was that he had to leave now. He sighed as he turned back to him and transformed into the dog again and then walked out of the hospital…

But as he walked on, he couldn't help but feel as if someone was squeezing his heart so hard that he could hardly breathe. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and go back by Harry's side…

Fighting tears, he shook his head and almost ran for the nearest exit… wanting to find and talk to Moony about all this.

**(I've been busy doing finals and projects for school, that is why there haven't been any updates for awhile. But I hope that this chapter makes up for it.)**


	25. The Power to Control

_**Chapter 24: The Power to Control**_

It was two days after he left Hogwarts did Sirius finally track down Professor Moony somewhere in the outskirts of Muggle London.

He padded down the dirty cobbled streets, too intent on finding his friend to bother about what the Muggles he was passing were thinking about him. Most people gave him wide berth, but once in awhile he heard someone say that someone should call for a dog catcher. Not interested in hanging around for that, he was finally able to track Remus down to a tired-looking terraced house. The paint was peeling and there were several shingles missing from the roof, but he could see that there were some bright flowers in the spotless window.

Yes, he had a feeling that Remus was here… even without the address that Dumbledore had given him. Quickly jumping over the rickety and rusty gate, he went straight up to the front door and sat there, barking loudly a few times before he could hear someone inside moving around.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Remus stuck his head out to see what all the noise was and stopped dead when he saw him.

It was the first time Sirius had seen him since their encounter at the Shrieking Shack. The flecks of silver in Remus's hair were now more pronounced so that he looked a good ten years older than he really was… while his face looked haggard and so much older than Sirius remembered. But despite all this, Sirius could see his friend's eyes were bright, alert, and intense as ever as he looked up and down the street quickly, making sure that it was safe.

"Sirius!" he exclaimed quietly, surprise and shock on his face before giving him a warm smile in welcome and Sirius wagged his tail happily. Remus quickly stood back and let him in. As soon as he closed the door, Sirius gave a joyful bark before he launched himself at him that almost knocked him over.

"Enough, enough," Remus laughed, sounding much more like the kid that he used to poke fun at school. As he pushed him away, he locked the door behind him as he looked to him and said, "Padfoot, it's good to see you - you have no idea how good. But why are you here? And where's Buckbeak?"

The dog changed into Sirius, standing up—his good mood fading slightly as he thought about how to explain all this.

"Dumbledore's looking after Buckbeak's for me for now," he answered, deciding to start off with the easiest answer first before he went on, "He sent me here with some bad news, Moony. And I mean BAD news."

Remus's smile quickly turned into a worried frown and asked, "Harry…?"

"He's OK," Sirius reassured him before he sighed and added, "Well… maybe not okay… but he's still alive."

"Oh, I can already tell that I'm not going to like hearing about this," Remus said, leading him to a worn-out kitchen and offered to make some tea. As he did, adding a little Firewhiskey in the brew, he listened to Sirius start to tell him everything that happened just a few nights ago.

"I'd been worried about him since I heard that he was in the tournament," Remus confessed, nodding his head to an old newspaper on the table.

"You aren't the only one, mate," Sirius sighed. "Ever since I heard, I'd barely had a moments rest. I thought that it was the tournament that I had to worry about… but the end of the Third Task was just the start of it."

He continued with Harry's account of the events in the graveyard. When Remus heard the part Wormtail had had to play, his almost ended up breaking the teacup in his hands.

"Peter," he said with disgust.

"And none of us knew," Sirius said bitterly, wishing that he had more Firewhiskey. "While I was sitting in Hagrid's pumpkin patch, Harry was fighting for his life. You should have seen him, Remus," he said, sighing heavily, leaning his forehead against his palm, suddenly feeling like he aged another hundred years. "He looked so lost, so scared, Remus… I… I honestly didn't know what to do."

Remus sighed, running his hand through his hair. "And it was Cedric Diggory that was killed?" he asked sadly.

"I take it you knew him?" asked Sirius, knowing that tone.

"He was one of my students," Remus said mournfully. "A brilliant student… one of the best I've ever seen."

"Really now?" he asked grimly. "That's a shame."

"I'm sure his parents must be devastated. I assume they were there?" Remus asked knowingly.

"Yes. There was quite a lot of commotion after," Sirius explained. "I don't know exactly what happened on the field, but I could hear them all shouting. Crouch Jr. used the ruckus as a distraction so that he could drag Harry off to his office. He tried to do him in, but Dumbledore showed up with McGonagall and Snape to save him. They interrogated him with Veritaserum before telling Fudge what happened. And you know what that idiot did?"

"What?"

"He brought a Dementor with him into the castle and it gave Crouch the kiss," Sirius shivered.

Remus stared at him. "Just like that?"

"Yeah, you should've seen the look on Dumbledore's face," Sirius told him quietly. "He looked ready to curse him for that. That Fudge sure botched things up this time."

"I honestly don't know what to say to that," Remus whispered.

"It's a lot to digest, I know," Sirius agreed. "But basically what it means is that the Order of the Phoenix will be getting back together again, with Voldemort back and angrier than ever."

"What else happened?" Remus asked determined to get ever detail he could.

"Well, Fudge got angry and left the ward, saying that he was going to talk to him about how the school was being run," Sirius explained, before going to tell him how Dumbledore made him and Snape shake hands and agree to least try and act like they tolerate each other.

Remus smiled. "I'm sure you enjoyed that."

"Oh, yeah," Sirius snorted sarcastically. "I loved shaking hands with that slimy git…"

"He's really not that bad, Sirius," Remus offered softly before asking, "But what's this about Harry seeing James and Lily?"

"Their after-images at any rate," Sirius said, and going into more details about what Harry told them. they went on talking for the rest of the night before they practically fell asleep at the kitchen table—and having nightmares about everything they heard about… unsure which part was the worse.

***A few days later***

A few days had passed since Sirius showed up at Remus's house, being the bearer of bad news. Remus was quite busy contacting all the members of the original Order of the Phoenix where were still alive and telling them that it was time for an emergency meeting.

"All we need now is a place to hold it," he told him late that evening, both of them enjoying a stew of vegetables—it had been so long since Sirius had a home-cooked meal that he almost cried with happiness.

But before he could finish enjoying it, there was a loud knock at the front door. Sirius froze as Remus jumped up and went to the door. Sirius transformed back into Padfoot and waited as he heard the door open and shut.

When he came back, it was Dumbledore who was with him and Sirius felt some relief, wishing that the old man thought to call before coming and scaring them…

"Sirius," he acknowledged, eyes twinkling as Sirius regained human form and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"Sir," Sirius nodded, quickly asking about how his godson was doing.

"He's…" Dumbledore said slowly, as if wondering how to best put this. "Dealing with it all as well as can be expected," he sighed at last and Sirius sighed. Of course Harry would still be having a hard time coming to terms with all this.

"He was in the hospital wing for only two days before Madam Pomfrey felt that it was safe enough for him to leave," Dumbledore told him truthfully.

"But _is_ he safe?" Sirius pressed on urgently, for some reason feeling more anxious by the second, and wishing that he could see Harry right now with his own eyes.

"Nothing else has happened over the last week," Dumbledore told him. "He left on the Hogwarts Express just this morning and should be back to Privet Drive right about now. He will be safe there so long as he's inside the house."

"What do you mean?" Remus wanted to know, taking a seat beside Sirius.

"Still, I would feel better if we put measures in place to watch over Harry while he's at the Dursleys," Dumbledore went on as if he didn't hear the question. "I don't think it likely there will be an incident but better to err on the side of caution."

"I don't see why he has to go there at all," Sirius frowned, now starting to become annoyed with how Dumbledore was dancing around his questions. "Wouldn't he be safer in the wizarding world? Like with Ron Weasley's family or with us…" his face brightened and added hopefully, "He could come and stay here with Remus and me."

"That's not possible at the moment, Sirius," he answered gently and at once, Sirius could feel anger boiling inside him.

"Why not?" Sirius demanded heatedly. "You know that Remus and I would protect him with our lives."

"Yes, I know," Dumbledore nodded, sincerity in his tone. "But that's not the issue here, Sirius…"

"You don't trust us, do you?" Sirius demanded loudly, drowning out his voice, not even sure himself why he was so upset. "You don't think that we'd be able to do even that much right?"

"It's got nothing to do with—" Dumbledore disagreed, but Sirius was on his feet again.

"I'm his godfather! And now you think that I…" Sirius was so close to shouting.

"Sirius—" Dumbledore called out.

"Sirius, please!" Remus cried loudly as he put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. At his touch, Sirius remembered where he was, and his harsh breathing started to calm down. He glanced at his friend… and then he slowly sat down. Feeling his anger slowly disappearing at Remus turned back to Dumbledore and asked why Harry would be safer with the Dursleys instead with them.

"Because his aunt is his mother's sister," he answered simply.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sirius barked irritably.

Dumbledore sighed and he confessed the reason; the truth that Harry was safe in the house of his mother's sister. That, so long as he remained there, Voldemort couldn't touch him; Dumbledore then leaned forward and said firmly, "I have no doubts about you, Sirius. Either about your allegiance or your abilities. I know that you would rather die than let anything harm Harry. I hope you believe me."

Sirius glared at him, but slowly nodded in understanding. He so badly wanted to talk to Harry again, but if he was safest in that house, then he decided to let it go for now.

"Which reminds me," Dumbledore said slowly, as he pulled out a long box from the inside of his cloak and pushed it across the table towards him, "I have something for you."

Puzzled, Sirius opened it and then caught his breath. There was a wand…

"It's not the same as your old one," Dumbledore said as he took it out and ran his fingers along it almost reverently. "But it is an excellent one… very near to the one that you used to have."

"It's nice…" Sirius muttered, unable to say anything else, "Can't remember the last time I held my own wand…"

He pointed to a teapot on the counter, and with a small pop, it turned into a large turtle.

"Thank you, sir," he swallowed gratefully, now feeling guilty from his shouting earlier as he turned it back into a teapot.

There was an awkward pause and then Dumbledore nodded. "You're welcome, Sirius. If we are to fight in this war, you need a wand for your own. And while I have not been unprepared for Voldemort's return, it will not be easy and we need all the help we can get. Ever since he disappeared thirteen years ago, I always knew that he would find a way back. How long… I didn't know… but I knew he _would_ return." He gave a sad smile. "Of course, other people do not want to face the truth."

"You mean the Ministry," Remus spoke up knowingly as Sirius continued to try out simple spells with the wand.

"I've tried speaking to Fudge again about this. It would be so much easier with the Ministry taking the lead," he sighed. "Unfortunately, he continues to deny the truth. I don't know what I'll have to do to convince him."

"He can't honestly think that you are making this all up," Sirius said darkly, remembering the way that Fudge was acting the night of the Third Task. It was a like he was dealing with an angry toddler who didn't want to go to bed and got angry at his parent. "Just pretending it's a lie doesn't make it one! It's only going to help Voldemort out!"

"I know," Dumbledore nodded in agreement before going on, "But luckily, we have time to prepare ourselves and to cut him off before he gets too much power. Thanks to Harry, we know he's returned and what he's planning. And we have new additions to our ranks. Alastor had told me that he has several young Auror's in mind… of course, we need to establish a Headquarters."

After a few minutes of silence, Sirius spoke again.

"I think I can help you out with that," he said softly, thinking—as if remembering a distant dream, "I know a place that we can use for Headquarters."

Sirius turned to him and gave him a rather grim smile. "I will introduce you to my loving family home."

***A few hours later***

After making a few extra precautions, the three of them appeared in an alleyway, about a block away from the house. Sirius led the way across the street, and through a shortcut that led them straight until they were all standing outside a gloomy looking house between number 11 and number 13. A house that he had sworn that he would never return too… he felt like he would be coughing up his own blood at the thought of setting foot here again…

Dumbledore raised his Deluminator and caused all the lights to go out before Sirius was able to transform from his dog form.

"Grimmauld Place?" Remus asked him in surprise once he was back on two legs. "I thought you said that when you left this place, you left for good."

"Yeah," Sirius stated angrily. "But I heard that my dear old mother's finally gone. Even though she disowned me, the house is still mine. It's a safe place. My father put all sorts of spells on the house to keep Muggles and any other wizards from ever finding it—don't know why they ever would want to," he added in a dark undertone. Honestly, anyone who knew his family history… who would want to come here in their right minds? "I'm sure we could put more up. But the house has been empty for about ten years now, so who knows what's happened since then."

He then walked up the front steps, banged on the front door, before he kicked the door open, having wanted to do that ever since he was little. "HONEY? I'M HOME!"

"Sirius, please, control yourself," Dumbledore said as he followed.

"Oh, excuse me," Sirius said, his voice dangerously mock-pleasant. At that moment, they heard loud screeching… it was a horrible, blood-curdling screech that made it feel as if his eardrums were going to bleed. No… it couldn't be… he was sure she was gone…

But at that moment, a curtain in the hallway suddenly was blown open, and there was a portrait of a hag that he had tried to forget all these years. "Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! How dare you befoul the house of my father's -"

"Ah," Sirius said coolly over the loud noise. "Mother dearest." He marched right up to the portrait, just happy that he didn't have to deal with the living version of her anymore. "Hello, you ugly, old hag!"

Her eyes bulged when she saw him. "YOU!" she screeched, her voice filled with rage at seeing him. "Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!"

Really? He'd been gone for years and she was still using the same old insults? You think after all this time, she could've thought of something more interesting to screech out. "Sorry!" he yelled sarcastically, putting a hand to his ear. "Can't hear you!"

And with a bang, he pulled out his wand and the curtain was blown over to cover the portrait before she could retort. Feeling lighter, he turned back to the other two who were staring at him, as if they'd never saw him before.

He didn't care as he told them, "You have no idea how long I wanted to say that."

Dumbledore looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could, something slinked across the hallway. A horribly familiar house-elf, wearing almost nothing except a filthy loincloth, was seen slinking through the shadows. The elf walked forward and bowed low, "Master Sirius," he said, before he added in an undertone, "My mistress's greatest disgrace has returned to bother poor Kreacher… oh, the shame."

"A house-elf?" Dumbledore repeated as Sirius groaned in horror.

"Not _you!_" exclaimed Sirius with utter disgust.

"Who is that?" Dumbledore asked him.

"Kreacher," he growled, quickly explaining, rolling his eyes. "Horrible little toerag. I see he hasn't changed all this time. I thought he was dead to. Oh, well… maybe the shock of giving him clothes would do it."

Kreacher slunk past them as if he couldn't see them and wandered off, glaring at Sirius all the way. "Greatest disgrace. Master has returned. Mistress's greatest disgrace…"

"Shut up, Kreacher," Sirius yelled at him.

"Kreacher," asked Dumbledore kindly, coming forward, "are you the only one keeping the house up or are there others here?"

"Who is this old man talking to Kreacher as if he knows?" muttered the house-elf to himself, convinced that Dumbledore couldn't hear him. "Why is he acting like he knows Kreacher? And who is the other man that the blood-traitor brought?"

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" growled Sirius as Kreacher glared back, all the horrible memories of being trapped in this living hell suddenly coming back like a river bursting through a dam.

"Sirius!" Dumbledore scolded softly. "Don't treat him like that. He could pose a threat to us if he falls into the hands of some of your other relatives."

"He can't leave," Sirius said, rolling his eyes, as he watched Kreacher walk out of the room with narrow eyes.

"Sirius, I understand that having Kreacher here is hardly ideal," Dumbledore told him, "But this is his house, also. If we do use it for headquarters, then we simply have to live with him, and to do that, we'll have to treat him with kindness and respect."

Sirius didn't answer, his eyes narrowed in dislike as the elf went off into the dark house.

"Sirius?" Remus asked in worry.

"I heard you. Not that I think it'll help his mood any…" he added in disgust. "It'll be easier just to sack him already…"

"Dumbledore is right, Sirius," Remus said slowly. "If we antagonize him, he'll find ways to twist your words and keep doing things…"

"All right, all right…" he snapped irritated, though he highly doubted it.

***That night***

Most of the Order was indeed already gathered there. Arthur and Molly Weasley both sat at the table, across from Dedalus Diggle and Emmaline Vance. Bill Weasley was at the side, watching them all, as old friend Elphias Doge was humming softly to himself. Hestia Jones was looking around the room, as Mad-Eye took his seat at the corner of the room.

Mad-Eye had brought with him two Aurors. The first was a young witch with violet hair and heart-shaped face that could only be Nymphodora Tonks. Sirius sat there and stared at her… the last time that he saw her was when she was a little girl, hardly more than four or five years old. It was hard to believe that she was his little cousin all grown up. She sat there brightly and looked around interestedly, as if wondering what would come popping out of the woodworks.

The second man that Mad-Eye brought was Kingsley Shacklebolt who stood tall and solid, with rich dark-chocolate skin. He wore a silver hoop in his right ear and no hair on his head, and overall cut a striking figure—almost like a rock that stood tall against the raging tides. As he went to take his seat at the table, he saw that Remus was giving Kingsley a wary look. So this was the man who was in charge of hunting him down? He made sure to sit as far away from him as possible as he sat under the table.

Once everyone was seated, Dumbledore came forward, and began the meeting by telling the guests the entire story of how Voldemort had struck when they least expected it during the end of the Triwizard Tournament and has now returned to power. As well as telling how Cedric Diggory truly died, and how Harry had narrowly escaped with his life. He then spoke of Fudge's refusal to believe the truth and the danger he was now leading the whole wizarding world into. The rest of the table was silent as he spoke; no one spoke a word, just horror-struck at what they were hearing. Several of them had initially wanted to think that Voldemort was gone for good, but when he mentioned Fudge's behavior—his ever growing paranoia, they all admitted that he seemed willing to do anything to hide something.

He also told them about smear campaign directed at, both himself and against Harry. By reminding them all, that the Ministry and the Daily Prophet had sung a different tune in previous years—but now that Harry was saying something they didn't like, they had turned on him, thinking that he could be discredited because he was young.

"Although," Kingsley said slowly, "He was Confuded by Sirius Black into ranting that Black was innocent. No telling what _he_ could have planted in Potter's mind."

Sirius couldn't hold back the snort. Like he would do that…

"That is because Sirius's case never came to trial," Dumbledore answered. "On the surface, it seemed too clear-cut that no one had bothered. Even I had thought that Sirius had committed those acts."

Sirius didn't dare look at anyone at those words, knowing that he had no one to blame but himself for never telling anyone else about this.

"However, over a year ago, Harry and his friends helped to fill in all the blanks. Because the case was never taken to court, no one ever found out that an innocent man was sentence to twelve years in Azkaban," Dumbledore finished.

They all gasped at the news, except for Molly, who was glancing anxiously down at him, as if expecting him to change back at any second.

"The story Harry and his friends told does not contradict any of the evidence, and it also matches precisely with the account Sirius himself gave me the night he was briefly recaptured," Dumbledore finished.

"And you believe a murderer?" Kingsley demanded slowly. "There were eye witnesses who saw him kill a whole street of people! And the notions I've heard of those kids claiming that Peter Pettigrew having lived twelve years as a rat with a missing toe is far-fetched."

Hearing it like that, Sirius had to admit that it did sound crazy, but then again—he had heard wilder stories. He had to fight back the urge to bite Kingsley on the leg as Dumbledore explained in his usual calm tones, "Far-fetched, but not impossible, and in my years I have seen many far-fetched stories turn out to be true. Perhaps Sirius could have offered evidence to prove his claim. When we held our own Inquisition, we threw away the chance to ever know."

"I find that hard to believe," Kingsley said, now turning back to Remus. "And I heard that you were once one of Sirius's Black's close friends?"

Sirius raised his head, now really having to fight the longing to bite. He better not take any of this out on Remus…

Remus nodded firmly. "Yes," he answered. "And I only recently managed to befriend Sirius again after I learned the truth."

When they all stared at him, and Remus went on at once, "I was there that night. He told me everything, and I have to say that it explained a great deal more than I ever thought possible. The Sirius Black I first knew, never would've betrayed his friends or join with Voldemort—" several people flinched at the name but he kept going, "So when I heard of what he had done, I thought that it had been a mistake at first. And I am sorry that I never did a thing about it."

He sighed as Sirius looking up at him gratefully; his heart now heavy with all the guilt at putting Remus alone all these years.

"But my dear friend is innocent," he finished softly. "And I will stand by that, whatever anyone else here says."

"And you are that werewolf teacher that we heard so much about?" Hestia asked.

Remus blanched slightly, but he muttered, "Yes. I am… ah… I have lycanthropy, yes."

"Professor Lupin," Kingsley said, nodding, some of his distrust fading slightly as he said, "I remember now… I've heard quite a bit about you; all the reliable things have been good."

Nymphadora leaned across the table to look him in the eyes, with bright-eyed curiosity. Her eyes were rather like those of a child looking at an exotic creature in a zoo, but he didn't take offense, and indeed when she ducked to the side to try to see his profile, he obligingly turned his head. "That's kinda cool," she said.

Typical Dora… she honestly hasn't changed a bit since she was little.

Dumbledore stepped forward, silently asking for Sirius to come stand next to him. "This," he said to everyone as Sirius did, "Is none other than Sirius Black."

Tonks whipped around to stare at him. Kingsley started back in disbelief, but for only a moment before Emmaline cried out, "You're joking!"

"No," he said serenely, "I am being completely serious about this. It's all true. Sirius Black is an unregistered Animagus, as was James Potter and as _is_ Peter Pettigrew. But Sirius was never in league with Voldemort—" more shuddering "—and was not the Potters' Secret-Keeper. About a week before the night that the Potter's were killed, Sirius and Pettigrew, or Wormtail as is his nickname, switched places at the last moment. This was done to try and misdirect Voldemort. As we all know, at the time, we got wind that there was a spy within the Order who had been passing information to the Death Eaters for about a year already. And the truth is it was Peter Pettigrew… not Sirius."

"But he still killed all those Muggles, as well as Pettigrew," Kingsley pointed out at once, but Dumbledore kept shaking his head.

"No," Dumbledore said and Sirius looked away, shame filling his heart at the memories. "After the Potters' deaths, it was Sirius, not Peter, who went after the other mad with grief, and it was Peter who caused an explosion and killed those innocent Muggle bystanders. He cut off his finger and escaped as a rat, leaving Sirius to take the blame. And we never bothered to discover the truth."

They all sat there, dumbstruck for a second, but Tonks asked, "How do you know this?"

"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger will all be evidence of having seen Pettigrew the night Sirius was captured at Hogwarts," he said, and the Weasleys looked up at him, startled.

"As will Professor Lupin," Dumbledore said. "Unfortunately, Pettigrew escaped, and the word of three students and a werewolf weren't enough proof to the Ministry and they didn't hesitate for a moment to sentence Sirius to the dementor's kiss without a second thought had he not escaped himself."

"Mum always said she could never imagine Cousin Sirius as a Death Eater," Tonks offered and Sirius looked back up to her to see her thoughtful look as she kept talking. So Andromeda never thought he was a killer? For some reason, that seemed to lift some of the heavy weight off his shoulders.

"What about him?" Kingsley asked slowly, pointing at him and Sirius felt his dislike rise even higher. "If I'm going to believe that this is Sirius Black, I need to be able to recognize him."

"He can resume his human form if it's safe for him to do so," Dumbledore stated.

Kingsley said in his deep voice, "If he is innocent, he has nothing to fear from me."

"Very well," he said and looked down to Sirius, "Sirius? If you would be so kind as to join us?"

Sirius looked up at him, not wanting to, but deciding to trust him. If nothing else, he could at least defend himself now that he had his own wand again. So he transformed, and predictably, they all stared at him as if they couldn't believe their eyes.

"Sirius Black?" Kingsley asked calmly and Sirius nodded to him.

"Wow, Cousin Sirius!" Tonks exclaimed getting up to shake his hand. "I don't know if you remember me do? The little girl that you used to babysit and said that I was a four-year-old bundle of terror?"

Sirius blinked before he gave her a rather wicked grin. "Course I do," he said hoarsely, remembering fondly of those horrible hours of keeping that wild child under control. "You used to drive me up the wall."

Dumbledore smiled and then went on with the story. "I know that this is hard to believe, but the truth is that Sirius is innocent and he wants to help with the Order. I will vouch for it myself."

They were all still looking at Sirius warily, but not as if they still thought that he was a murderer. Dumbledore then went on with the most important part that they needed to discuss.

"We have a spy who is believed to be a trusted servant of Voldemort," he said. "And thanks to him, as well as the information that Harry had been able to give me, we know what Voldemort is after. We have the names of several Death Eaters who had returned to him the night that he returned. Voldemort is planning on building his army back up again before he comes out into the open. He wishes to become as strong as possible before he lets us all know that he is back."

"What are they?" Kingsley asked at once as Sirius took his seat at the table.

"That he is planning on gathering the dementors of Azkaban," he answered. "Now, I did warn Cornelius that he must remove the dementors from the prison, but of course he refuses to do so. This will surly led to a break-out along the road. _When_ this will be, I cannot answer, but it will only be a matter of time before they join Voldemort. As we all know, dementors don't show loyalty. Fudge may convince himself that they would never betray him, but he is setting things up so that he is placing Voldemort's most loyal supporters under the control of creatures who will join Voldemort as soon as he asks them."

"Oh, great!" Mad-Eye barked out, sounding grumpy. "All that trouble to put them in there in the first place and now they're going to be breaking out again. Just my luck…"

"And we also know that he is also planning on sending Death Eaters to take into service the giants as well. Now, I have some good friends who are already on the way north to try and convince them to join our side, but we cannot get our hopes up just yet."

"So what do we do?" Arthur asked.

"I have several ideas," Dumbledore assured him. "However, there is something that I must tell you all. Thanks to our spy, I know that there is one more thing besides his army that Voldemort is planning on obtaining. Something that is currently in the Department of Mysteries."

He sighed, and Sirius looked up at him, suddenly curious to why the old man was suddenly looking so uneasy. "I am going to tell you all something," Dumbledore said slowly. "Something that only a handful of people know. Before Voldemort fell, a prophecy had been made… a prophecy foretelling of Voldemort's defeat."

"A prophecy?" Bill repeated almost in awe.

Dumbledore nodded. "A prophecy that has to do with Voldemort… and Harry Potter."

Stunned silence filled the room. Sirius felt his stomach plummet as he slowly glanced up at Dumbledore in horror. "Shortly before Harry was born, this prophecy had been made… Voldemort knew that this existed; however, he only knows the first part. The reason that he was defeated for so long was because he set out to kill Harry Potter that night… believing that he was putting a stop to it. But as he only knew a small part of it, he made a grave mistake, thus resulting in his downfall for thirteen years."

He took a deep breath and finished by saying, "The record of the prophecy is being kept where all prophecies are… the Hall of Prophecy in the Department of Mysteries."

"So…" Arthur said slowly, "He's planning on getting it and hearing all of it?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"But you seem to be awfully aware of what it says," Sirius said through narrow eyes, the news of this prophecy felt like a punch in the face.

Dumbledore gave him a sad look and admitted, "Because I was the one whom it was made to when the Seer predicted it."

Sirius couldn't believe what he was hearing. So the old man knew this for all this time?

"I am the only person who knows the full contents of the prophecy and I have never told another soul about it… not even Harry knows its existence. The point is, Voldemort is afraid of Harry."

"Afraid of him?" Hestia repeated startled.

"Yes," Dumbledore admitted as Sirius stared at him. "Harry has already faced Lord Voldemort, not once, but four times including his escape from him last year."

They gasped at the news, knowing that most full-grown wizards were usually killed when faced to face with Voldemort, but a child escaping so many times…?

"Which is why Voldemort doesn't plan on moving out into the open without knowing everything," Dumbledore went on. "While I can't tell you all what the prophecy says—not that I don't trust you—" he added when Sirius glared at him fiercely.

"But the fact is, the less people who know the truth, the less chances that the words will make it back to Voldemort," Dumbledore finished and Sirius hated the fact that he was right about that. "Now… for those of you who don't know, the records that are being kept in the Ministry are made so that only the people they refer to can lift them from their shelves. Anyone else will suffer madness. So, in other words, the only people who would be able to pick it up are either Harry Potter or Voldemort."

"So, there's nothing to worry about," Tonks asked, sounding more upbeat. "I mean… if he's not planning on showing himself to the Ministry until he gets it, but is one of only two people who can get it… then…"

"That's the kind of thing I expect a kid to say," Moody grunted.

She turned to him furiously and snapped, "I'm not a kid!"

"Oh, use your head, Nymphadora," he told her grumpily.

Tonks looked furious, but Dumbledore broke them off by saying, "We must not assume anything. There is always a chance that he will find a way to get around it. And if he gets his hands on it, then it could lead to Harry's death…"

Sirius froze and stared at him. So if Voldemort ever heard the whole thing, would Harry really be put into that much danger?

"Which is why we mustn't ever let him hear it. We must keep guard over it, as well as young Mr. Potter…"

"What about Harry anyway?" Sirius asked at once, almost afraid of the answer.

There was a long pause…

"Under the circumstances..." Dumbledore said slowly, "And now that Voldemort has returned, I think that we can all agree that Harry's safety is our first priority. The most certain way to ensure that would be for him to stay at his aunt and uncle's house. As long as he's with his Aunt, he's with his mother's blood, the blood will give him the best protection that we can offer. The magic that protected Harry from Voldemort back then is present wherever Lily's blood is, including in his aunt…"

Sirius felt rage inside him once again, and shot him a menacing look, but he didn't say anything. He stayed quiet for the rest of the meeting. He sat there and waited as they all got up and left one by one… until finally it was him, Remus and Dumbledore at the kitchen table.

"Look, I know I'm a wanted criminal and it's unsafe for me to go out but there are ways that I could do something useful," Sirius said, not at all happy about Dumbledore's suggestion to keeping him locked in this house. "I mean… I can turn into a dog for crying out loud!"

Dumbledore gave him a sad look. "Sirius, I know that this is hard for someone like you, but Wormtail surly would've told Voldemort and the others about you by now."

Sirius thought that over before he cursed loudly and pointed out, "Well, even if my big disguise is useless, there still Polyjuice Potion, charms that can change my appearance… I won't use the same face every time!"

"Do you really think I haven't considered these options?" he asked sadly.

"Then why -" Sirius began, wondering just why he couldn't be allowed outside as well.

"Haven't you considered that all the member's lives are in danger when they go on Order business? That there might be some reason why I wanted to keep you safe?" he asked him.

Sirius blinked in surprise. What did any of that have to do with this?

"Sirius," he said carefully, "I am keeping you safe simply because Harry needs you to remain safe, alive and out of Azkaban."

"Don't bring my godson into this," Sirius said warningly, not liking anyone using Harry like a bartering chip. "He doesn't have anything to do with the fact that you don't want me to leave."

"He has everything to do with it," Dumbledore stated. "Harry needs you, Sirius. He will need you to help him get through this war. Harry is going to have a tough year, the toughest he's had yet and I cannot help him. In fact, I will have to distance myself from him, which will him feel abandoned and alone."

"Why?" Remus asked at once as Sirius stared at him, not liking where this was going. "You were always so fond of him… always spoke so highly of his abilities."

"I am. But the truth is… and I didn't tell the rest of them this… but there is a connection between Harry and Voldemort… one that has surly gotten stronger since the end of the tournament," Dumbledore confessed.

"What do you mean by a connection?" Sirius demanded, now starting to feel real panic taking hold in his heart.

"I mean, that there's no telling what Voldemort will be able to do to Harry even when he's far away," Dumbledore said softly. "I don't know just how strong this connection is… but there's a chance that Voldemort might be able to use this."

"What do you…?" Sirius began but Dumbledore explained, "When I first saw the scar on his forehead, I guessed what it could've meant… I guessed that it might be the sign of a connection forged between the two of them. For it became apparent to me right away that Harry's scar was able to warn him whenever Voldemort was close to him. And just last year, he started having those dreams…"

"Dreams?" Remus repeated but Sirius shook his hand down at him, remembering what Dumbledore told him about these dreams.

"Harry was able to see into Voldemort's mind through his dreams," Dumbledore said softly and Remus stared at him. "Of course, Harry has no idea… and has little, if any, control over it. This ability to be able to sense him no matter where he is, and to know what he's feeling has obviously become more and more pronounced since Voldemort returned to his own body and his full powers. But now, I am concerned that Voldemort might be able to use this…"

"Use it how?" Sirius asked, his insides feeling cold at the thought.

"He doesn't know about it yet," Dumbledore told him. "But if he should ever discover it, there is a chance that Voldemort could try and use Harry to spy on me."

"Spy on you?" Sirius repeated, wishing that he could hear something that actually made sense to him.

"If Harry was able to see into Voldemort's mind by accident, then there's a chance that it could work the other way as well," he told him grimly. "Which is why I can't allow myself to get to close to him. If I treat him as any other student, then Voldemort will be less tempted… and Harry will be more protected. You see?"

Sirius frowned, not liking this one bit as Dumbledore finished, "I'm not any happier about this than either of you. But it's for Harry's safety. At the moment, Voldemort doesn't know about it, and I intend to keep it that way. But what I'm trying to say here, Sirius, is since I will no longer be able to be there for him. He will need someone to talk to, someone who understands what it is like to be belittled and hated… he will need someone to talk to other than Ron and Hermione. Quite apart from that, you are the only family Harry has and he would be devastated if he lost you."

Sirius gave him a long look. He wanted to fight more than anything… but the idea of him hurting Harry anymore than he had been felt like a punch to the gut.

"Sirius," he said gently. "He's lost so much that he loves already, Sirius, and I don't think I could stand it to see him lose anymore." He shook his head, "And I don't think he could stand it if he lost more than he already has."

Sirius just continued to just look at him darkly but knew he was right. Though why Harry would feel something like that for him, he didn't know. "I'm sorry Sirius, I know you wanted to fight but—"

"Save it," Sirius grunted, throwing himself back into his chair. "Looks like you finally found a way to control me."

He would put up with this… but not for Dumbledore or the Order… he was doing it for Harry and him alone.


	26. Deadly Liasons

_**Chapter 25: Deadly Liasons  
**_

For the next week, Sirius spent his time trapped up in Grimmauld Place. Already he was regretting ever offering this dump to Dumbledore for Headquarters. What had he been thinking? He didn't think it would be this bad, but the moment that he heard that he was expected to hide here… he felt the need to bang his head against the wall. But he soon learned that his problems weren't as bad as some of the others… such as when he marched down to the kitchen early one morning in time to see Remus pouring over a piece of parchment.

"What's that?" Sirius asked sourly, but lost some of his frustration when he saw Remus jump at his tone and shoved the paper away.

"Oh, Sirius. I heard from Dumbledore last night. He'll be coming here around noon," Remus stated a little too quickly, "And the Weasleys will be moving in with us for the remainder of the holidays. I think that Hermione's with them too…"

"No, what's that?" Sirius said, pointing to his pocket. While he would love to see Ron and Hermione again, he wasn't going to let Remus gloss over something like this. It must be important if he's so anxious to try and hide it, "What were you reading?"

"It's nothing important," he said, and now Sirius _knew_ he was lying to him.

"I know it's been a long time since we have a decent conversation, Moony," he growled, "But your lying hasn't gotten any better since we were kids. So what were you hiding? Because I'll find out one way or the other."

Remus opened his mouth, clearly to tell him to forget it, but Sirius narrowed his eyes dangerously. "_Remus_," he growled in a very doglike way.

Remus sighed again. "The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures has been going on about the anti-werewolf legislation that was passed two years ago," he answered as he pulled out the sheet and held it out for him to read.

PROTECT YOURSELF AND APPROVE OF THE ANTI-WEREWOLF LAWS!

"What is this crap?" Sirius demanded, feeling sick at the words and unable to bring himself to read past the title, "_Anti-Werewolf_ Laws?"

"A witch named Dolores Umbridge passed it two years ago," Remus confessed angrily, "She's now Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Umbridge hates half-humans and she doesn't try very hard to hide it. She's one of the biggest reasons why it's almost impossible for me to find a job since I left Hogwarts. Most jobs I get only last a few months before they realize that I'm sick ever full moon and then I have to go out to find another. But thanks to her, these days it's almost impossible to find a job."

Sirius felt his own anger and frustration fade away at that as he sat next to him, clapping a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Remus closed his eyes, suddenly looking tired and ill. "I feel like one of those creatures who needs to be tagged before released into the wild. But she seems to feel as if it's her duty to try and make us as miserable as possible. We're not human, remember?"

"Shut up, Moony," said Sirius angrily, giving him a hard poke in the side.

But their little heart-to-heart moment was ruined when they heard the doorbell ring, and that was cue for his mother's ugly portrait to start screaming.

"New rule in this house," Sirius groaned, having grown tired at hearing his mother's voice screaming beyond the grave, as they got up to answer it. "No ringing the doorbell!"

After silencing his mother, they opened the door to see that there was a mass of red-heads. In the front was Ron, looking around eagerly.

"Hello Ron," Remus said smiling as he shook the boy's hand, looking a little better at seeing some more familiar faces, but still grim.

"Good to see you again," Sirius said as the rest of the Weasleys were looking over Ron's shoulder, which was hard with his height, to get a good look at them.

"Hey," said one of two boys that could only be twins. Sirius recognized him at once as one of the Beaters on the Gryffindor team.

"Aren't you…?" his twin started up.

"He is," the first twin said.

"What?" Sirius asked, already knowing what they were getting at.

"Sirius Black?" they chorused together.

"Falsely accused Sirius Black," Sirius answered grimly.

"Wicked," said the twins in awed unison.

"Stop it, you two," said Molly Weasley, bringing up the rear with the red-headed girl that Sirius sometimes saw watching the Gryffindor team practice and with Hermione, who was smiling at him. Molly's eyes a little red and she looked almost as worn out as Remus did.

"We've just checked all the spare rooms," said Remus as he stood back and let them all in. "They're safe but dirty." Sirius took out his wand and waved it, and the Weasleys' school trunks rose off the ground, forming a neat line behind him as they led them up the stairs, quickly telling them to stay quiet as they passed the portraits. They all looked at the house-elves on the walls with disgust as they led them up the first few flights of stairs.

They climbed up another set of stairs. "Ron, you're in the room on the left," said the werewolf. "If Harry comes by later this summer, he'll be staying with you."

"Will he be coming?" Ron asked him anxiously. "Harry won't liked this at all… he's probably going stir-crazy right now."

Sirius's eyes soften, he knew the feeling all too well… then he knew that being locked up wasn't good for him. He suddenly wanted to see him so badly that he felt like he was having a constant stomachache

"I'll see what I can do," Sirius said.

***The Next Day***

"Remind me again why we can't use magic here to clean?" Fred demanded hotly.

"Because your mother doesn't approve of it," Remus smiled. "Besides, magic doesn't solve everything… sometimes you need a little elbow grease to do the job."

"Why is the house so dirty, anyway?" Ron demanded, "I woke up this morning with a house-elf slinking around the room!"

"Oh, so that's what that screech was," George teased. "I thought that it was Ginny…"

"Shut up!" Ron snapped, "How'd you like waking up to that ugly mug?"

"You mean Kreacher?" asked Sirius. "He's useless. I expect that he's just let the house mold and fester since my mum died."

Hermione was looking reproachfully at him, "Sirius… I'm sure that if you just made an effort with Kreacher…?"

"Why?" Sirius asked her, "There's no point. He won't be cleaning anything here… we're stuck doing it the Muggle way."

"It's not that bad," scoffed Hermione.

"Speak for yourself," grumbled Ron as they picked up some of the cleaning supplies and grumpily headed upstairs to clear out some of the bed rooms. But as they headed up, Sirius distinctly heard Hermione whisper to Ron, "I hope Harry's having a better holiday than we are…"

"You really think that?" he hissed back sarcastically.

Hermione was silent for a moment before he heard her sigh, "No…"

***About Three Weeks Later***

Time went marching on as it always did. Though Sirius was still kept locked up inside, having the kids here had helped him to deal with it all. Soon, it had already been a month since the summer holidays and they had finally moved from the upper floors to the Drawing room as they cleaned. He wished that cleaning was his only worry however.

The Ministry was refusing to listen… and the main problem was Fudge. He had been going around and firing anyone who had anything to do with Dumbledore anymore. Speaking of which, whenever the old man came to Grimmauld place for meetings, Sirius would ask when Harry would be allowed to come here.

"Sirius, I thought that had been discussed, we had agreed that keeping him with his mother's relations was best," he said wearily each and every time.

"He would be safe here," Sirius hissed back to him.

"Sirius, we can't put all of our proverbial eggs in one proverbial basket," he told him. "The safest place for him is still the most important issue."

This was often how they ended their arguments and Sirius was starting to grow more and more upset about it. But he did his best to ignore those feelings until the night he heard of the Dementor attack…

As soon as he got the message from Arthur about how Harry had performed the Patronus Charm—he knew it could only mean one thing… Dementors. He sat up most of that night, waiting for Dung to come back… so that he could kill him.

***Days later***

Sirius had been angry and miserable for the next three days… hearing about all the plans and preparations being made a they went to go pick Harry up. What he wouldn't have given to have been there himself. But with Harry sitting at the table with him that night, he felt a sense of peace that he hadn't had for a long time.

He felt entirely useless, sitting trapped in this house and doing nothing. Btu that feeling didn't last long. Dinner had just finished, and Molly said tiredly, "Nearly time for bed, I think."

"Not just yet, Molly," said Sirius, pushing away his empty plate and looking at Harry. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort."

The atmosphere in the room grew darker as if Sirius just proclaimed a death. Harry was looking up at him angrily and proclaimed, "I did! I asked Ron and Hermione but they said we're not allowed in the Order, so…"

"And they're quite right," said Molly sharply, looking ready to fight, "You're too young."

"Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions?" Sirius asked her firmly. He knew that if Harry was anything like his father, than being locked up in that house for a month must've driven him crazy. "Harry's been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. He's got the right to know what's been happen…"

And he believed what he was saying with all his being. Harry had seen firsthand what horrors Voldemort could unleash and he was willing to bet that Harry was having nightmares about it.

"Hang on!" George interrupted heatedly and soon he and Fred were arguing why they haven't heard anything.

"It's not my fault you haven't been told what the Order's doing," said Sirius calmly. "That's your parents' decision. Harry, on the other hand…"

"It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry!" said Molly dangerously and Sirius felt some of the resentment all month welling up inside him at those words. "You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?"

"Which bit?" asked Sirius politely, but with an air of viciousness in his voice—just the name 'Dumbledore' was causing his anger to flare up worse than ever.

"The bit about not telling Harry more than he NEEDS TO KNOW," Molly hissed.

"I don't intend to tell him more than he NEEDS TO KNOW, Molly," said Sirius, carefully avoiding the astonished looks on everyone's faces. "But as he was the one who saw Voldemort come back…" he ignored all the shudders and flinches around the room as he explained, "he has more right than most to…"

"He's not a member of the Order of the Phoenix!" Molly interrupted him furiously, "He's only fifteen and…"

"And he's dealt with as much as most in the Order," he argued, silently reminding her that he's seen more than his fair share of life and it's horrors, "and more than some…"

"No one's denying what he's done!" Molly called, sounding close to shouting, "But he's still… "

"He's not a child!" yelled Sirius impatiently, trying to remind her that she couldn't protect him forever.

"He's not an adult, either!" Molly finally screamed, and then she said something that made him almost completely lose it… "He's not JAMES, Sirius!"

He knew who Harry was already! Who did she think he was? "I'm perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly," he snarled, fighting the urge to curse her.

"I'm not sure you are!" Molly shrieked back. "Sometimes, the way you talk about him, it's as though you think you've got your best friend back!"

Harry suddenly cried out, "What's wrong with that?" making the man feel a surge of affection for him… mixed in with shame for not stepping in and telling him otherwise.

"What's wrong, Harry, is that you are NOT your father, however much you might look like him!" said Molly, not turning her head away from Sirius—as if to say _'see what you've done?'_. "You are still at school and adults responsible for you should not forget it!"

"Meaning I'm an irresponsible godfather?" bellowed Sirius, his anger getting the better of him.

"Meaning you've been known to act rashly, Sirius, which is why Dumbledore keeps reminding you to stay at home and…" Molly shouted back.

"We'll leave my instructions from Dumbledore out of this, if you please!" said Sirius loudly.

"Arthur!" cried Molly, turning to her husband, who looked as if he rather do anything than answer. "Arthur, back me up!"

Keeping his composer, Arthur cleaned his glasses before he said, "Dumbledore knows the position has changed, Molly. He accepts that Harry will have to be filled in to a certain extent now that he is staying at headquarters…"

"Yes, but there's a difference between that and inviting him to ask whatever he likes!" Molly retorted.

"Personally," said Remus quietly, looking away from Sirius, "I think it better that Harry gets the facts-not all the facts, Molly, but the general picture-from us, rather than a garbled version from… others."

"Well," huffed Molly, staring around the table at everyone, and seeing that she was outnumbered. Sirius had to fight the urge to stick his tongue out childishly at her, "well… I can see I'm going to be overruled. I'll just say this: Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry to know too much, and speaking as someone who has got Harry's best interests at heart…"

"He's not your son," growled Sirius quietly.

"He's as good as," replied Molly getting angry again. "Who else has he got?"

"He's got me!" Sirius roared out.

"Yes," said Molly with a curled lip that reminded him horribly of Snape, "The thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?"

It was too much. He rose from his chair, not knowing what he was going to do, only that he would've done something serious if Remus didn't tell him to sit down. Sirius was breathing hard through his nose as Remus tried to calm them both down, but his own thoughts were of outrage. How dare she? HOW DARE SHE?

"I think Harry ought to be allowed a say in this," Remus continued. "He's old enough to decide for himself."

"I want to know what's been going on," Harry said at once.

"Very well," said Molly, her voice cracking. As she told her children and Hermione to leave, but as they argued with her on that, the only thing that Sirius was thinking of… that perhaps she was right.

***Later***

Sirius was pacing his room furiously before he flung himself onto the bed, cracking his knuckles and swearing heatedly to himself. Ok, maybe he did treat Harry too much like his father. What was wrong with that? Sirius wasn't a father figure and he knew it… he didn't know how to be a father… but a friend he could do. Besides, Harry was old enough to know what to do without a father there to tell him right? What did he need him for?

"_It's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?"_

Molly's words still rung in his ears, making Sirius ache to break something. He was used to threats and taunts… he'd had heard them all his life, but what she said struck deep. Nothing could have stung him more than what Molly had just over an hour ago. He sighed as he tried to calm himself down, stroking Buckbeak's beak next to him in an effort to comfort himself.

But what bothered him the most was that he _knew_ that she was right. He hadn't been around. He hadn't seen Harry grow up or helped him with anything else that's happened with his life. Sirius groaned, clutching his hands over his face as he thought about his mistakes. If he hadn't been so damn _stupid_ to go after Peter everything would have been so different.

He knew Molly didn't trust him. She was so overprotective of Harry as well as her own children and he could understand that. But what he hated was how she continued to treat him as if he was a murderer. The way she looked at him was as if she thought that he would suddenly attack someone. Then to hear that he'd failed as a godfather…it was almost too much.

No good godfather gets himself locked away in prison for most of his godson's life. Now he wants to make up for the lost time, but he didn't know how!

Molly wasn't helping either… she treated him like he was still the criminal. She's so controlling and that was festering his suppressed rage. Sometime later, Remus stopped in to see how he was doing.

"How _dare_ she! She had _no_ right to say that!" growled Sirius, pacing up and down as Remus stood there watching him.

"Sirius, calm down," said Remus quickly, "You know what Molly's like… she's just really protective over Harry? She wants to make sure he's safe and sound just as much as you do. I'm sure she didn't…?"

"That I get! But she didn't have to rub it in my fault," continued Sirius, breathing heavily as if he hadn't heard a word, "And now she thinks that I'm batty in the head! Getting Harry and James mixed up here!"

"Sirius, I think you need to calm down," Remus said at once. "Take a few deep breaths. I admit that what she said was wrong, but…"

"But what, Moony? But _what?_" interrupted Sirius, his grey eyes glinting dangerously as he glared at him, "Don't tell me you _agree_ with what she said…"

"Sirius, don't be stupid," said Remus briskly, "I never said that. I'm merely saying that you both want the same thing but don't approve of the way each other is going about it. You both want Harry safe…"

"Sirius…?" that voice broke his rant and he glared at the door to see that Molly had appeared, clearly having overheard what they were saying. Sirius stopped his rant to glare at her as she cleared her throat nervously.

"What?" he said with venom in his voice.

"I… wanted to say I'm sorry," she mumbles, looking away.

Sirius blinked, taken aback before his anger came back. "What, did Arthur make you come and apologize?"

Molly's face grew red and her eyes narrowed dangerously—looking ready for another shouting match.

"Sirius," Remus warned, trying to keep the peace between both of them.

"No," she says, making an obvious effort to keep calm and it made him feel better to see her angry. "I just wanted you to know that I realize what I said was crossing the line. I get that Harry does deserve to know what is happening. I just worry for his safety. I don't want to see him get hurt."

"You think I do?" he asked coldly, "But you aren't his mother, Molly."

"And you're not his father, Sirius," she retorted.

"I'm…" he began hotly.

"You're his godfather," she admitted loudly. "Yes, I know… but the way you act when you talk about him is like you have to stop and remind yourself that it's Harry not James. That's not healthy for either of you."

"Harry old enough to…" Sirius began.

"He doesn't need another best friend, Sirius," Molly said firmly. "Sometimes, Sirius, you act like no time has passed since you lost your best friend. You're an adult but you still like to act like you're a teenager sometimes. But you can't be like that."

He just glared at her as Remus looked back and forth between them.

Molly went on bravely, "I know you care for Harry. You want to keep him safe just as much as I do. But Harry craves a father figure, not another friend. But instead of trying to act the part, you allow Harry to try and act more like James for you."

"What do you know?!" he demanded.

"Because I pay attention!" she snapped back, "Something that you need to start doing more! The way you're acting is selfish, Sirius. I'm not questioning whether or not you care about Harry, just the fact that you're trying to see him as someone who's dead!"

The room was silent as Remus stood, ready to get between them should they start dueling. But Sirius kept his eyes firmly on her. When she spoke again, it was in a softer voice. "I want to protect him, Sirius. He has been too good to my family for me to just let him run head-first into danger. But, it pains me to admit it, but he's more like you than we first thought. He's hot-headed, reckless, and rash… what I want…" she added before breathing deeply, "Is to protect him for as long as I can."

Somehow, all of the anger has drained out of him and he sat back down as Remus looked between Sirius and Molly… as if wondering just who he should try to talk to first. Sirius and Molly just continued to glare at each other, as if daring the other to speak. After awhile however, they seemed to come to some kind of silent understanding and Molly left the room.

Sirius didn't say a word as he leaned back and stared at the ceiling, refusing to talk to Remus as he tried to speak. But Sirius was too lost in his thoughts… not sure to what he should say or do anymore.

**(I know that it was kinda fast-moving here, but I'm really having trouble thinking of conversations throughout this story. I wanted to put in both Molly and Sirius's POV when it comes to Harry. While I think they both want the exact same thing, they just don't like how the other tries to handle it. I do hope that this short chapter was worth the wait for you all.)**


	27. Wicked Clutches

_**Chapter 26: Wicked Clutches**_

Sirius spent a great deal of time thinking about what Molly said to him all night. By the time the sun rose, he hardly slept a wink. But unable to stay in bed with nothing to do, he forced himself up and he changed before he made his way down the stairs with a grumble.

He caught sight of Molly in the kitchen and froze for a moment as the two looked sharply at the other. Neither one said anything, just silently deciding to agree to disagree.

Sirius walked past her as he made himself a cup of tea, and she went looking around for some bottles of Doxycide before leaving the room with several armfuls of cloth. Deciding to feed Buckbeak, Sirius went and got the bag of rats that he had killed yesterday when they cleaned out one of the bedrooms. He knew that Buckbeak loved rats as his favorite food—something that he liked best of that hippogriff.

He knew that Buckbeak wasn't enjoying the fact that he was being kept locked up here all day every day and he patted his friend gently on his beak, letting him know that he understood completely. Sighing, he dragged his body through the empty hallways almost like a zombie before he passed the drawing room and heard Hermione's voice said, "Kreacher's really old, he probably couldn't manage -"

"You'd be surprised what Kreacher can manage when he wants to, Hermione," said Sirius, coming in. The whole group was gathered around the curtains, that were buzzing, obviously full of Doxies. Each one of them had a cloth over their noses and mouths as they looked at him.

He noticed Harry looking at the enquiringly as he explained that he just finished feeding Buckbeak. "I keep him upstairs in my mother's bedroom." He felt a grin pull at his mouth, knowing that his mother would've _love_ that. "Anyway… this writing desk…"

He dropped the bag of rats into an armchair, then bent over to examine the locked cabinet that was now shaking a little.

"Well, Molly, I'm pretty sure this is a Boggart," he told her, peering through the keyhole, "but perhaps we ought to let Mad-Eye have a shifty at it before we let it out - knowing my mother, it could be something much worse."

"Right you are, Sirius," Molly answered lightly in that politely just as they heard the doorbell downstairs ran and it was followed by the usual screams and wails and he sighed.

"I keep telling them not to ring the doorbell!" he exasperatedly, hurrying out of the room. He went running down the stairs and after shutting the portraits up, he opened the door to find Kingsley standing there. He raised his eyebrows at him as he nodded his head apologetically at ringing the bell again. But instead of going into that, he changed the subject and stated, "Hestia's just relieved me, so she's got Moody's Cloak now, thought I'd leave a report for Dumbledore…"

"Fine," Sirius said as he stood back and let him in.

"Lucius Malfoy has been hanging around there lately," he added quietly as they went into the kitchen to talk. "I'm sure he's trying to get a look into the Department of Mysteries for Voldemort. But with Fudge wrapped around his finger, there's nothing I can do but to remind him that only the Unspeakables are allowed in there if I see him around that door."

"Do they know that you're in the Order?" Sirius asked.

"They could," Kingsley agreed, "But I can't say one way or the other yet."

As he talked a little longer about the future plans, Sirius was fighting the rush of jealousy in him that Kingsley could leave the house and actually go out to the front lines to fight. God, what he wouldn't give to be able to do that now. But as they talked, they heard the sudden sounds of Molly's voice screaming at the top of her lungs, "WE ARE NOT RUNNING A HIDEOUT FOR STOLEN GOODS! YOU ARE COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE, AS IF WE HAVEN'T GOT ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT WITHOUT YOU DRAGGING STOLEN CAULDRONS INTO THE HOUSE -"

With Molly and his mother both screaming enough to be able to shake the walls, Sirius came charging into the hallway to see that Mundungus was here with at least a dozen cauldrons and understood right away as Molly went on yelling.

After she moved the fight to the kitchen and they shut the portraits up again, Sirius decided to let her deal with Dun as he headed back upstairs wanting to see how the others were doing. As he approached the door, he heard one of the twins asking, "What do you want, anyway?"

"Kreacher is cleaning," Kreacher's voice said and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"A likely story," he said as he glowered at the elf from the doorway. As soon as he saw him, Kreacher flung himself into a ridiculously low bow that flattened his snoutlike nose on the floor. Sirius had to bite back the longing to kick him… he knew that he hated this.

"Stand up straight," he snapped impatiently. "Now, what are you up to?"

"Kreacher is cleaning," the elf repeated. "Kreacher lives to serve the Noble House of Black -"

"And it's getting blacker every day, it's filthy," said Sirius darkly as Kreacher bowed again, adding in an undertone that he was an ungrateful swine who broke his mother's heart.

"My mother didn't have a heart, Kreacher," he retorted. You would think that he knew that by now after listening to that portrait all these years. "She kept herself alive out of pure spite."

Kreacher bowed again as he spoke in another undertone, "Master is not fit to wipe slime from his mother's boots, oh, my poor mistress, what would she say if she saw Kreacher serving him, how she hated him, what a disappointment he was -"

"I asked you what you were up to," he said firmly. "Every time you show up pretending to be cleaning, you sneak something off to your room so we can't throw it out."

"Kreacher would never move anything from its proper place in Master's house," the elf said before he muttered about the tapestry.

"I thought it might be that," Sirius said knowingly, casting a disdainful look at the opposite wall. "She'll have put another Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of it, I don't doubt, but if I can get rid of it I certainly will. Now go away, Kreacher."

Kreacher didn't disobey the order, but he gave him a look of deepest loathing as he muttered to himself, "- comes back from Azkaban ordering Kreacher around, oh, my poor mistress, what would she say if she saw the house now, scum living in it, her treasures thrown out, she swore he was no son of hers and he's back, they say he's a murderer too -"

"Keep muttering and I will be a murderer!" said Sirius irritably as he slammed the door shut on the elf.

"Sirius, he's not right in the head," Hermione pleaded, "I don't think he realizes we can hear him."

"He's been alone too long," said Sirius dismissively, not really bothering to listen, "taking mad orders from my mother's portrait and talking to himself, but he was always a foul little -"

"If you could just set him free," said Hermione hopefully, "maybe -"

"We can't set him free, he knows too much about the Order," he said curtly, though he wished he could get rid of him. "And anyway, the shock would kill him. You suggest to him that he leaves this house, see how he takes it."

Sirius walked across the room to where the tapestry Kreacher had been trying to protect hung the length of the wall. He could feel the others all gathering behind him as they looked at the old tapestry and red the very top:

_The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black Toujours pur_

Sirius sighed in disgust.

"You're not on here!" Harry said suddenly, looking near the bottom of the curtain.

"I used to be there," he answered, without looking at him as he pointed to the burn. "My sweet old mother blasted me off after I ran away from home - Kreacher's quite fond of muttering the story under his breath."

"You ran away from home?" Harry asked him in surprise

"When I was about sixteen," he confessed. "I'd had enough."

"Where did you go?" asked Harry, and soon everyone was staring at him.

"Your dad's place," he answered back simply. "Your grandparents were really good about it; they sort of adopted me as a second son." He smiled at the memories of happier days before he went on, "Yeah, I camped out at your dad's in the school holidays, and when I was seventeen I got a place of my own. My Uncle Alphard had left me a decent bit of gold - he's been wiped off here, too, that's probably why – anyway, after that I looked after myself. I was always welcome at Mr. and Mrs. Potter's for Sunday lunch, though."

"But…" Harry said slowly, a look of confusion on his face, "why did you…?"

"Leave?" Sirius smiled bitterly and ran his fingers through his hair as he looked at him finally. "Because I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal… my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them… that's him."

He pointed to Regulus's name and told them that he joined the Death Eaters.

"You're kidding!" Harry said at once as some of the Weasleys were looking uncomfortable listening in.

Sirius rolled his eyes as he said darkly, "Come on, Harry, haven't you seen enough of this house to tell what kind of wizards my family were?"

"Were - were your parents Death Eaters as well?" Harry asked abashed.

"No, no, but believe me, they thought Voldemort had the right idea, they were all for the purification of the wizarding race, getting rid of Muggle-borns and having pure-bloods in charge," Sirius told him in disgust at the very thought. "They weren't alone, either, there were quite a few people, before Voldemort showed his true colors, who thought he had the right idea about things… they got cold feet when they saw what he was prepared to do to get power, though. But I bet my parents thought Regulus was a right little hero for joining up at first."

He felt sick to the stomach for that. He and his little brother had never been close, but it still saddened him greatly to think of what must've happened to him. So this was what happened when your parents are prejudice gits… they not only ruined their lives, but his brother's…

"Was he killed by an Auror?" Harry asked hesitantly. Sirius sighed and told him the whole truth that he remembered hearing about Regulus. How he was murdered because he apparently got so far in that he panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out. "Well, you don't just hand in your resignation to Voldemort," he finished, "It's a lifetime of service or death."

Just then, Molly came back, carrying a large tray of food, still looking angry and he wondered if she really had killed Dung downstairs. Everyone but Harry moved towards the tray, now hungry… but Harry stayed where he was as he watched him look at the tapestry.

"I haven't looked at this for years," Sirius sighed, "There's Phineas Nigellus… my great-great-grandfather, see? Least popular Headmaster Hogwarts ever had… and Araminta Mehflua… cousin of my mothers… tried to force through a Ministry Bill to make Muggle-hunting legal… and dear Aunt Elladora… she started the family tradition of beheading house-elves when they got too old to carry tea trays… of course, any time the family produced someone halfway decent they were disowned."

They were monsters… all of them… well, he supposed that even a rotting tree could still have some flowers bloom. "I see Tonks isn't on here. Maybe that's why Kreacher won't take orders from her - he's supposed to do whatever anyone in the family asks him -"

He shook his head as Harry asked if they were related in great surprise.

"Oh, yeah, her mother Andromeda was my favorite cousin," he explained, "No, Andromeda's not on here either, look -"

He pointed to another small round burn mark between two names, Bellatrix and Narcissa.

"Andromeda's sisters are still here because they made lovely, respectable pure-blood marriages," he said rolling his eyes, "but Andromeda married a Muggle-born, Ted Tonks, so -" he pretended to blast the name away as Harry whispered, "You're related to the Malfoys!"

"The pure-blood families are all interrelated," Sirius explained, not the least bit proud of it. "If you're only going to let your sons and daughters marry pure-bloods your choice is very limited; there are hardly any of us left. Molly and I are cousins by marriage and Arthur's something like my second cousin once removed. But there's no point looking for them on here - if ever a family was a bunch of blood traitors it's the Weasleys."

Lucky them… they went against those stupid thoughts and look at them… a big, happy family. Well… most of them anyway. He remembered hearing about their rouge son Percy and he rolled his eyes at that boy's obvious stupidity.

"Lestrange…" Harry said aloud and bringing him back to the matter at hand when he was looking at Bellatrix's name.

"They're in Azkaban," he informed him as Harry looked at him curiously. He finished, by speaking harshly, as if this was a bad memory that he didn't want to tell, "Bellatrix and her husband Rodolphus came in with Barty Crouch junior. Rodolphus's brother Rabastan was with them, too."

Harry gulped a little as he started, "You never said she was your -"

"Does it matter if she's my cousin?" he snapped at him, "As far as I'm concerned, they're not my family. She's certainly not my family. I haven't seen her since I was your age, unless you count a glimpse of her coming into Azkaban. D'you think I'm proud of having a relative like her?"

"Sorry," said Harry quickly, "I didn't mean - I was just surprised, that's all -"

"It doesn't matter, don't apologize," Sirius mumbled, already ashamed that he snapped at him. He knew that it wasn't his fault… just remembering it all however brought back bad memories and he didn't need help remembering all that.

Without looking at him, he turned away and dug his hands into his pockets as he confessed, "I don't like being back here. I never thought I'd be stuck in this house again. It's ideal for Headquarters, of course. My father put every security measure known to wizard kind on it when he lived here. It's unplottable, so Muggles could never come and call – as if they'd ever have wanted to."

He rolled his eyes. Who in their right mind would want to come and visit this dump?

"And now Dumbledore's added his protection, you'd be hard put to find a safer house anywhere. Dumbledore is Secret Keeper for the Order, you know – nobody can find Headquarters unless he tells them personally where it is - that note Moody showed you last night, that was from Dumbledore…" Sirius gave a short, bark-like laugh. "If my parents could see the use their house was being put to now… well, my mother's portrait should give you some idea."

He scowled for a moment, then sighed. Too bad that he'd never get the satisfaction of seeing her expression in person. He looked to Harry and told him about his plan of escorting him to the hearing—as Snuffles—so that he could give him some moral support.

Harry's face sunk at the mention of the hearing and he looked away from him as he stared at his friends. Sirius guessed what he was thinking of and whispered, "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll clear you, there's definitely something in the International Statute of Secrecy about being allowed to use magic to save your own life."

Harry looked up and asked quietly, "But if they do expel me… can I come back here and live with you?"

Sirius didn't say anything for a moment as he thought that over. What he wanted, and he felt ashamed for thinking about it, was for that to happen. That his godson would be expelled and lived here with him. But he knew that was selfish as he gave him a forced smile and answered that they would see.

"I'd feel a lot better about the hearing if I knew I didn't have to go back to the Dursleys," Harry pressed him.

"They must be bad if you prefer this place," said Sirius gloomily, a part of him wanting to know just what Harry had gone through while at that house. What was so terrible that he would rather live in a dump like this? But he didn't have time to think about it as Molly called for them to hurry and eat.

Thankfully, they were able to forget all about that as they spent the next few days cleaning. He remembered having to clear out those old cabinets filled with 'treasure' or that's what his parents had called it.

It could've been worse. The worst thing to happen so far be that bite from the snuffbox and his hand was starting to crust over. Thankfully, he knew what to do and cleared it up before he got rid of the box. The scariest thing, for him, was when Harry picked up a random silver instrument—that he didn't even want to know was for—and Sirius finally found a decent use for _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy _as he smashed it to pieces. There were other objects in there including some old, tacky locket that only his mother would've worn, a cursed music box, old seals with the Black crest, and even an Order of Merlin that belonged to his grandfather. He gave it a filthy look as Hermione asked if he wanted to keep it.

She was kidding right?

"It means he gave them a load of gold," he said as he threw it behind him into the rubbish pile.

He suppose that it wouldn't have been so bad. It felt good to get rid of all those worthless pieces of junk here. Objects that his parents obviously cared a lot more for than him and his brother. Though he was sure that it wouldn't have been so difficult if Kreacher would keep his nose out. But every time he thought that he could get away with smuggling something away, he would. And he sure wasn't shy about voicing his opinion when they caught him at it.

When Sirius was forced to take back a ring with the Black crest, Kreacher fled the room, sobbing and calling him words that he knew that most mothers would make their children wash their mouths out. He went as far as to threaten him with clothes, but Kreacher fixed him with a watery stare and said, "Master must do as Master wishes," before turning away and muttering very loudly, "but Master will not turn Kreacher away, no, because Kreacher knows what they are up to, oh yes, he is plotting against the Dark Lord, yes, with these Mudbloods and traitors and scum…"

He didn't care what Hermione said as he threw him out of the room anymore.

But it was good to actually spend some time with his godson. Even while they were cleaning, they would talk about anything—and it was good to try and make sure that Harry didn't dread too much on the upcoming Hearing. That had been life at Grimmauld Place for the next few weeks and his own spirits seemed to have lifted considerably. It was the longest time that he was able to spend with Harry since he had been a baby.

He badly wanted to go with him during the day of the Hearing. But a couple days before the date of the Hearing, when Dumbledore finally decided to stop by, he asked if it would be possible if he could accompany him, which he said no immediately.

"Why not?" Sirius demanded, feeling some of his pent up frustration rising up at once, "You mean I can't even be there to support my own godson?"

"Sirius," Albus sighed; they were in the hallway and could hear some of the Order members in the kitchen talking—but Sirius cornered him in the doorway before he could try and slip away. "First of all, the Ministry won't just let a giant dog go walking through the front doors. And even if they did, you're surrounded by countless people who think that you're a mass-murderer."

"Yeah, but they don't know that I'm an Animagus now do they?" Sirius challenged him.

"You are forgetting that Lucius and other Death Eaters will be there," Albus sighed exasperated. "And they surly know. Wormtail would've told them everything. Sirius, I know that this is difficult for you, but please… you mustn't go."

"And what if he's expelled?" he asked at once. "What will happen? If Fudge had his way, he'd probably have sent Harry to the Closed Ward at St. Mungo's before now! And I don't want him going back to Privet Drive! Look what happened last time! Dementors! And you said that house was safe for him. Look, can he come and live with me if he's expelled?"

Sirius had to fight back the surge of selfish emotions welling up in him. While the last thing that he wanted was for Harry to be expelled, the idea that his godson would be able to live here with him full time was something that he desperately wanted.

Albus gave him a sad look. "I won't let them expel him."

Molly, who had just come down from downstairs, looked started to see them there.

"Sirius, it's not safe for you to go," Albus said hurriedly. "If you're caught, then it would only make things more difficult for Harry now wouldn't it?"

Sirius stopped for a moment, though he was looking livid.

"Sirius," he said again, "I promise that I won't allow them to expel Harry. I will ensure that he will be cleared of all charges."

Sirius glared at him before he went slumping off in the direction of the kitchen—hatred now pulsing through his body like blood.

No one mentioned the Hearing again until the night before when Molly told him at dinner, "I've ironed your best clothes for tomorrow morning, Harry, and I want you to wash your hair tonight, too. A good first impression can work wonders."

Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Ginny all stopped talking and looked over at him who had frozen and suddenly looked like he lost his appetite. Sirius felt so bad for him, and when Harry asked how he was getting there, his voice was practically dripping with distress.

"Arthur's taking you to work with him," Molly told him gently and Arthur gave him an encouraging smile at him and told him that he could wait in his office until then. He could feel Harry's eyes on him and Molly answered, "Professor Dumbledore doesn't think it's a good idea for Sirius to go with you, and I must say I –"

"Think he's quite right," said Sirius through clenched teeth, wishing that she'd just shut up as he began to stab at his potato, his anger crashing together like waves at the thought of the old man.

***Next Morning***

Sirius had been surprised to see that he hadn't been the first person in the kitchen the next morning. Molly was there and the two hardly glanced at each other as he sat down at the table. Not long after that, they were joined by Arthur, Remus and even Tonks when she came back early from guard duty… he didn't have to ask why any of them were here for.

They didn't have to wait much longer anyway… about half an hour later, Harry had come down as well. Judging from the slightly red eyes and dark bands, he didn't get much sleep the night before.

Molly left to her feet and began bustling around making breakfast as Tonks gave him a tired hello. "I've b - b - been up all night," she said, yawning so loudly that she was making him tired. "Come and sit down…"

But as always, when she tried to draw out a chair, she somehow ended up knocking over another one. She rolled and seemed to be biting back a curse as she bent down and picked it back up.

"What do you want, Harry?" Molly called and listed of several kinds of food, hoping that he would be in the mood to have something.

"Just - just toast, thanks," said Harry distracted as Remus gave him a worried look. Thankfully, he didn't bring anything up as he instead asked Tonks about Scrimgeour, even though they barely said anything before Harry arrived.

"Oh… yeah… well, we need to be a bit more careful, he's been asking Kingsley and me funny questions…" she said startled before she picked up the conversation as if they had been discussing it for hours.

Harry just picked at his toast as Molly busied herself by fussing over him until it was getting time to leave and Arthur asked how he was doing, which Harry just shrugged back, looking ready to be sick.

"It'll all be over soon," Arthur said encouragingly. "In a few hours time you'll be cleared."

'_Not if the Ministry had their say,'_ Sirius thought to himself darkly.

"The hearing's on my floor, in Amelia Bones's office," Arthur went on, "She's Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and the one who'll be questioning you."

"Amelia Bones is okay, Harry," Tonks added earnestly. "She's fair, she'll hear you out."

And because he felt like he should say something he added, "Don't lose your temper. Be polite and stick to the facts."

"The law's on your side," spoke up Remus, giving Sirius an amused look at what he just said and Sirius had to agree there. "Even underage wizards are allowed to use magic in life-threatening situations."

After Molly tried valiantly to tame Harry's hair, Arthur said that it was time to go. Better to be early than late after all. Harry dropped his barely touched toast and got up quickly as they each offered good luck and words of comfort.

"And if it's not," Sirius couldn't help but try to cheer him up, "I'll see to Amelia Bones for you…"

Harry smiled weakly back at him as Molly gave him one last hug and they saw them off. They all spent most of the next few hours in the kitchen, all of them hoping that things would work out. Molly was able to keep her mind off things by making a large breakfast for everyone else—and by the time that the kids all showed up, she finally decided to go up and change.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked.

"You're dad already took him to the Ministry," Remus informed them. "It's always better to be early."

"Was he doing alright?" Ginny asked worriedly as she picked around her porridge like how Harry picked at his food earlier.

"Well, he was far from cheerful," Tonks said, changing her hair to her favorite shade of pink. "But all in all, I thought that he was handling it well."

"We'll find out the verdict later," Sirius added dully as Hermione came into the room, carrying a letter, and a nervous look on her face.

"Hermione?" Remus asked in surprise when he saw her.

She held it up, and Sirius was startled to see the Ministry seal on it. "This just showed up," she said hurriedly. "I saw the owl at the window and…?" she trailed off. Frowning, he and Remus got up as everyone looked over at them, their food suddenly forgotten.

"What is it?" Fred asked as Remus tore it open and shook the letter out. Sirius looked over his shoulder and when he read it he let out a yell of fury that made the entire room jump back from him in surprise.

"SIRIUS!" Molly's voice snapped as she came in, straightening her robes. "What are you screaming about?"

"I think we can forgive him," Remus said, and he looked outraged. "This is from the Ministry. Apparently they changed the time of Harry's Hearing."

"They did what?!" Ron yelled, jumping up from the table. "You mean it's not today…?"

"Oh, it's today!" Remus said as Tonks got up to read it as well, "But they changed it so that it takes place much earlier!"

"They changed the time. How they could do that?" Molly demanded dangerously as Tonks took the letter from him.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hermione demanded furiously. "They're trying to make him look bad by missing it!"

"And that's not the worst part," Remus said, sitting down bitterly. "They changed it all so that it will be held in front of the whole court in Courtroom Ten."

"THE ENTIRE WIZENGAMOT IN COURTROOM TEN?!" Tonks shrieked. "WHAT ARE THEY PLAYING AT? THOSE WERE USED FOR THE DEATH EATER TRIALS!"

"Wait what?!" George called, looking stunned as he and Fred both got up as well.

"Instead of having it in Amelia's office, Fudge decided to go against Harry with the Wizengamot backing him up," Remus explained quickly to them.

"But it's a hearing for underage magic!" Sirius cried out exasperatedly. "It's not like he did murder or anything! What are they playing at holding a whole criminal trial?"

"It's obvious that they had been trying to discredit him and making him late for his own trial won't only make it look like he didn't care," Remus said furiously, "it's clear that Fudge wants to intimidate Harry in front of some of the most influential witches and wizards in Britain."

"In other words, make an example out of him," George cried out, his voice higher than usual.

"It's a good thing they left so early," Tonks said, breathing hard and no longer tired. "Oh, boy, I think Dumbledore might have his hands full with this one."

No one was remotely hungry after that. Each one sat at the table, each one silently cursing the Ministry in their minds for daring to pull something like this. They could only hope for the best now…

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Arthur had returned to the house with Harry and they heard the wonderful news.

"I knew it!" yelled Ron, punching the air ecstatically. "You always get away with stuff!"

"They were bound to clear you," said Hermione, who had looked positively faint with anxiety and had given him a hug as everyone let out sighs of relief that they didn't realize they had been holding, "there was no case against you, none at all."

"Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering you all knew I'd get off," said Harry, smiling and it was so good to see him enjoying himself again. Sirius clapped him on the shoulder as Fred, George and Ginny were doing a kind of war dance to a chant that went: "He got off, he got off, he got off…"

"That's enough! Settle down!" Arthur smiled, looking as happy as the rest of them, but when he looked to Sirius, some seriousness returned as he said, "Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry -"

"What?" he asked, looking up sharply.

"He got off, he got off, he got off…"

"Be quiet, you three!" he said, a little more firmly before he said, "Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on Level Nine, then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know."

"Absolutely," he agreed at once, not liking this at all. "We'll tell him, don't worry."

"Well, I'd better get going," Arthur said, checking his watch, "there's a vomiting toilet waiting for me in Bethnal Green." He turned to his wife and added quickly, "Molly, I'll be late, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner -"

"He got off, he got off, he got off…"

The song was getting old and Molly was starting to become irritated as she snapped at them to stop and began getting food out for everyone and Molly finally shouting at Ginny and the twins to shut up with their dance.

Sirius felt shame once again at how much he had been hoping that Harry would be expelled. The thought of September 1st coming, that once brought so much excitement was now filled with dread. He did his best to deal with it the only way he knew how and that was locking himself up with Buckbeak for long periods of time.

On the very last day of the holidays the booklists had finally arrived and there was a surprise. Both Hermione and Ron were given the Prefect badges. That alone had made Molly happier than he could ever remember seeing her. She insisted on a small celebration for this happy news. He couldn't see what the big deal was, but hey, if it cheered her up that much, let her do what she wanted.

But it did cheer him up as well when he talked with the others, glad to have the whole house full for at least tonight.

"I was never a prefect myself," said Tonks brightly at once point, "My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities."

"Like what?" Ginny asked her curiously.

The answer was sweet and simple…

"Like the ability to behave myself," she said as they laughed.

"What about you, Sirius?" Ginny asked, thumping Hermione on the back after she choked on her Butterbeer and Sirius couldn't help but laugh.

"No one would have made me a prefect, I spent too much time in detention with James," he laughed before looking to Remus, "Lupin was the good boy, he got the badge."

Remus chuckled at the memories. "I think Dumbledore might have hoped I would be able to exercise some control over my best friends. I need scarcely say that I failed dismally."

Of course he did… no one could control them in those days. The party went on for a few happy hours, but they were all starting to turn in around ten with the thought of trying to catch the Hogwarts Express tomorrow. Molly was the first one to go up, muttering vaguely about dealing with the boggart before she turned in.

He too was starting to grow tired, but he didn't want to bring himself to sleep now as he looked around at the crowded room. It was then that he noticed something wrong. Harry was talking to Mad-Eye Moody, who was showing him something. He watched as Harry's green eyes widen with shock as he stared at what must've been some photograph.

He could see that Harry was struggling to come up with some kind of answer for Mad-Eye and he decided to step in. but as soon as Mad-Eye was distracted, Harry almost bolted for the stairs.

"You alright?" Remus asked, noticing what happened a moment ago as Moody held out the photo for them to see.

"Found it," he grunted. "Just thought that young Potter would have liked to have seen this…"

Curious, Sirius reached over and took it and stared at what it was. It was the picture that they took years ago of the Original Order of the Phoenix. He remembered the day that they took this… and there between Lily and James Potter was Peter Pettigrew. Sirius's eyes narrowed in hatred as he felt Remus grip his shoulder for a moment.

"It's been years since I've seen this," Remus whispered in awe but suddenly Moody stood up, his magical eye now fixed on something above them.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked at once, looking around to make sure that no one else noticed.

"Molly," he muttered, turning and heading directly for the door, "she's dealing with the boggart."

They looked at each other in confusion before they followed after him, wondering just what was going on. They found out soon though when they reached the drawing room and heard Molly sobbing and shouting out Riddikulus!

"What's going on?" Remus called as they went charging in but they all stopped dead when they saw what was lying on the floor. Laying there, in a pool of his own blood, his eyes wide and lifeless as his jaw was open as if in mid-scream… was Harry.

And he was dead.

Sirius felt as if ice flooded through his body and freezing him as he became light-headed. Staring at it violent images of James lying underneath all the rubble in Godric's Hallow came flying back to him—his memories of every miserable thing that had happened to him over the last fourteen years was like a slap in the face. No, it couldn't be…

Harry couldn't be dead… he saw him just a few minutes ago and he was just fine!

"Riddikulus!" Remus shouted, and immediately Harry's body disappeared so that there was now a silvery orb of the moon hanging in the air before it disappeared. Sirius just stared at the spot on the floor as his mind slowly registered what had really happened.

Remus had gone straight to Molly, who was now sobbing her heart out into his shoulder as Sirius's heart slowly started to beat again. He fought the urge to be sick and wanted to sit down.

"Harry, I'm so sorry, what must you think of me?" Molly said shakily. "Not even able to get rid of a boggart…"

Harry…? Sirius finally looked up from the spot on the floor and looked around to see that Harry was standing up against the wall next to the door. Sirius let out the sigh of relief as Harry tried to let Molly know that it was alright, but his voice was shaky as Molly finally cried out, "I'm just so worried. Half the f-f-family's in the Order, it'll b-b-be a miracle if we all come through this…and P-P-Percy's not talking to us…What if something d-d-dreadful happens and we never m-m-made up? And what's going to happen if Arthur and I get killed, who's g-g-going to look after Ron and Ginny?"

Those words took him back. They sounded very similar to the words that Lily once said when they learned that she was going to have a baby. He remembered how hard she had cried at the thought of dying and leaving her child in the world alone. His heart felt like it was being squeezed painfully as he also recalled James saying that they should name him godfather… that he would take care of Harry should something happen.

Remus pulled back a little and was now gently scolding her. Telling her that they were much better prepared for this war than last time. He admitted that he couldn't promise that no one was going to get hurt here but they were much better off than they were last time. Sirius remembered the photo and of all those friends that had died in the war… they were being picked off like flies…

"Don't worry about Percy," he heard himself say abruptly. "It's a matter of time before Voldemort moves into the open; once he does, the whole Ministry's going to be begging us to forgive them. And I'm not sure I'll be excepting their apology," Sirius added, the injustice still stood. If his name was ever cleared then he was going to make sure that they all paid dearly for it.

"And as for who's going to look after Ron and Ginny if you and Arthur died," Remus said, smiling slightly, "what do you think we'd do, let them starve?"

Sniffling a little, and forcing a smile she muttered, looking like she was feeling much better getting all that off her chest, "Being silly. Thank you, Remus. I do feel a little better now… I think I'll just go to bed. Good night, everyone."

Molly dabbed her eyes as she left the room—but Sirius had been trying to catch Harry's eye but Harry was staring at everything else around him but at them. Finally Harry muttered something under his breath something about packing and he left the room without another word.

"Sirius?" Remus asked quietly as Mad-Eye clunked out the room.

Remus's voice was soft, but it was enough to withdraw Sirius out of his reverie. However, grief and frustration came at such a strong wave of emotion that he just couldn't help but bury his face in his claw-like hands.

"I want to go with you to King's Cross," he said finally. "I thought I'd go as Padfoot. It's not like anyone knows… I have to get out of this place. It's going to kill me, Moony…"

He didn't care if he died anymore. He would die happy if he knew that he would never have to see his godson's lifeless eyes again.

**(Sorry, sorry. I know. Long wait, but I'm still trying to get this story done.)**


	28. Borrowing Christmas

_**Chapter 27: Borrowing Christmas  
**_

The next day the house was full of chaos, but it was a mixture of the good and the bad kind. It was good in one way because it meant that the house was full of noise and he loved every moment of it, but bad because he knew that in just a few hours the house would have significantly less people. The kids were all heading back to school, and Arthur and Molly were going to move back to the Burrow now that they were sure their children would be safe.

He did his best to enjoy the noise and company while he could before he was forced to say goodbye to them all, especially to Harry. Their day started off when the twins tried to get their trunks to fly downstairs and knocked their sister down two flights, left her sprawled at the bottom, and left a bleeding lump the size of a Snitch on her head.

As soon as she saw it, Molly lost her mind. She gave the boys a shouting that would've made even a deaf man's ears ring. As she took Ginny into the kitchen to clean her up, she gave the twins such a deadly look that they recoiled at once—but the worst part for them was when Arthur found out, and took them aside, finally gave them a serious talk about being responsible. His voice practically dribbled with disappointment and the boys were looking down, for the first time since he met them, Sirius could see real shame in their faces.

He had long since given up trying to shut his mother's portrait up as Mad-Eye marched in, complaining that they couldn't leave without Podmore the whole time, and trying to step over Tonks, who tripped in the hall once again. But Molly, whose patience seemed to have been used up for the day, looked up the stairs and was screaming for them to hurry and come down since they were forced to walk to the station.

Once she finished up with her daughter, she joined them all in the hallway and seemed to calm down when she saw Harry coming down with his trunk and owl under his arm. Sirius's eyes shown, and he was barely able to hide his excitement as he transformed into Padfoot.

"Harry, you're to come with me and Tonks!" Molly called over the noise, "Leave your trunk and your owl, Alastor's going to deal with the luggage… oh, for heaven's sake, Sirius," she moaned out when she saw him. "Dumbledore said no!"

What could he care less what that old man said? He was getting out of here no matter what… if just for today, he want to be able to say that he at least saw his godson off on the train at least once.

"Oh honestly…" Molly moaned despairingly. "Well, on your own head be it!"

She was apparently too stressed out to try and convince him to stay, not that she could even if she tried. Panting happily, his tail wagging merrily, he waited impatiently as she opened the door and they followed her. When the door slammed shut behind them, they heard his wretched mother's screams die out—which was music to his ears.

How had he forgotten how beautiful it was outside? The sun was bright and the air was fresh… it reminded him greatly of when he first escaped Azkaban and he was lying in that alleyway… knowing that he was finally free.

As Harry talked to Molly about where Tonks was, he went about the area, snapping at pigeons and even chasing his tail. Harry was laughing as he watched and Sirius was feeling better than he had been for months. He barely even noticed Tonks, disguised as an old woman today, who was telling them that they would have to walk the rest of the way to King's Cross.

Sirius didn't care, in fact he was glad of it. It was more fun that he had in ages, it was times like this that he envied Tonks—all she had to do was think it and she could change how she looked. Why couldn't he us some Polyjuice Potion or something? Use and Invisibility Cloak! There were a number of ways he could change his appearance… but no, he was stuck here in this house.

But he shook his head, doing his best not to think about all that as they went on. Just focus on now! That was all that mattered. He walked alongside them the whole way, looking around eagerly at everything, breathing in the fresh air that seemed to clear his nose of the smell of mold and dust that he had been forced to deal with for months. He even went after a few stray cats to get Harry to laugh, with Molly giving him a disapproving look.

He was sorry when they finally reached the barrier between platforms nine and ten, he felt his spirits sink considerably. With every step, it was as if he was getting closer to heading back to that house. No, he didn't want to go back there yet!"

When the coast was clear, they ended up going through the barrier and onto Platform nine and three-quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood belching sooty steam over a platform packed with departing students and their families.

Sirius felt a terrible longing inside him, a part of him wishing that he could return to the school as well… to act like a kid for once instead of a prisoner.

"I hope the others make it in time," Molly whispered anxiously behind him, staring behind her at the wrought-iron arch spanning the platform, through which new arrivals would come.

He then heard a tall boy with dreadlocks calling to Harry, "Nice dog, Harry!"

Sirius barked happily as he wagged his tail, liking this kid at once as Harry called back, "Thanks, Lee."

"Oh good," Molly said suddenly, sounding relieved when the others slowly began to file through the archway. Moody limped over to her and muttered darkly that he didn't think they were followed as everyone else came through. As soon as Remus showed up with Ginny and the twins, who she was giving a dark look, Moody asked, "No trouble?"

Remus shook his head. "Nothing," he answered. This was to be expected after all—it wasn't like Voldemort was going to try to attack them and risk getting found out this soon.

Mad-Eye nodded in grim satisfaction before he muttered, "I'll still be reporting Sturgis to Dumbledore. That's the second time he's not turned up in a week. Getting as unreliable as Mundungus."

Everyone turned the kids and began to give them their goodbyes. Sirius wished that he could've said something to Harry, but this was the best that he could do. But as the whistle sounded off, and Molly was throwing hugs at them all, they were all forced to get onto the train.

He reared back onto his hind legs and paces his front paws on Harry's shoulders, trying to let him hear all the words that he needed to say to him. But he had a feeling that harry understood, even with Molly throwing him off him.

"For heaven's sake, act more like a dog, Sirius!" she hissed as Harry called a farewell and leaned out of the open window, waving goodbye to them all. Sirius then began to run alongside the train and barked happily. Well, she said to act like a dog didn't she?

And everyone seemed to love it, pointing at him, laughing at how he chased the train until it was out of his sights.

He slowly walked back, his tail down to the group. When he got there, Remus was waiting for him. "Alastor made them all hurry up and go," he said with a shrug to him. "We can walk back if you want though."

Sirius gave him a soft look with his eyes as they walked out of the station together.

"You really are mental aren't you?" Remus asked him out of the corner of his mouth and Sirius snorted back.

Maybe… but why would he want to change a good thing?

*A few days later*

Sirius had been stuck at Grimmauld Place for the last few days with no one but Kreacher. He felt that he was losing his mind trapped up here, so when he got that letter from Harry, it was a blessing that couldn't have come sooner.

_Dear Snuffles,_

_Hope you're okay, the first week back here's been terrible, I'm really glad it's the weekend. We've got a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Umbridge. She's nearly as nice as your mum. _

_I'm writing because that thing I wrote to you about last summer happened again last night when I was doing a detention with Umbridge. We're all missing our biggest friend, we hope he'll be back soon._

_Please write back quickly._

_Best,_

_Harry_

Sirius frowned a little as he thought it all over. Harry starts off by telling him, in plain English, that things weren't going well. So he was prepared to look for clues about what's wrong. Umbridge really was as nice as his dear old mum? Now she had to be bad. Then again, he always supposed that she would be given how Remus rants about her. The thing that he wrote to me about last summer…? Did that mean that his scar hurt him when he was in detention? That couldn't be good. And of course their biggest friend could only mean Hagrid and how worried they must be.

Sirius frowned. He had been sure that Hagrid would be back by now. But he needed to see Harry face to face to really give him any answers. He came up with a plan.

That night, he took some floo powder and tried the fireplace inside the Gryffindor commonroom. Once every hour, he would take a quick look around before he would pull his head back out as soon as he saw that it was full of people.

He just kept going, desperate for just a glimpse of a familiar face. Finally, when it was late, he finally struck gold. The room was empty except for the three people that he had been dying to see. Just when he thought that they must've given up…

Grinning, he grabbed more of the green powder and went back at once to see Harry was crouching on the hearthrug and looking at him—and Sirius guessed that he must've seen him for that brief moment.

"Sirius!" Hermione repeated in shock and Ron dropped his quill. Sirius grinned at them, his heart feeling warm at the sight of them.

"I was starting to think you'd go to bed before everyone else had disappeared," he said. "I've been checking every hour."

"You've been popping into the fire every hour?" Harry said, half-laughing and Sirius grinned a little wider. "Just for a few seconds to check if the coast was clear," he explained. But when Hermione asked what he would've done if he'd been seen and he causally told her that he thought a first-year girl might've seen him earlier, but he shook his head, not bothered by it.

"But, Sirius, this is taking an awful risk -" Hermione began.

"You sound like Molly," said Sirius, rolling his eyes at her. "This was the only way I could come up with of answering Harry's letter without resorting to a code - and codes are breakable."

Hermione and Ron both looked startled at that and Hermione glared at Harry, angry that he didn't tell them that he wrote a letter to him.

"I forgot," said Harry, and a slightly dreamy look came over his face at that, as if remembering something pleasant, before he noticed Hermione's disapproving look and he added, "Don't look at me like that, Hermione, there was no way anyone would have got secret information out of it, was there, Sirius?"

"No, it was very good," said Sirius, smiling at him wholeheartedly. "Anyway, we'd better be quick, just in case we're disturbed - your scar."

"What about -?" Ron began, but Hermione interrupted him. "We'll tell you afterwards. Go on, Sirius."

"Well, I know it can't be fun when it hurts, but we don't think it's anything to really worry about," Sirius said, feeling close to biting his tongue at that. He hated lying to him, but his hands were tied here. Instead, he tried to reassure him that it wasn't anything to worry about.

"Yeah, and Dumbledore said it happened whenever Voldemort was feeling a powerful emotion," said Harry, and he looked angry at Dumbledore's name, which cheered him up greatly. "So maybe he was just, I dunno, really angry or something the night I had that detention."

"Well, now that he's back it's bound to hurt more often," he said bracingly before Harry asked if he thought that it had anything to do when Umbridge touched him.

"I doubt it," said Sirius, thinking back to everything that Remus said about her. "I know her by reputation and I'm sure she's no Death Eater -"

"She's foul enough to be one," said Harry darkly, and Ron and Hermione nodded vigorously in agreement.

Sirius smirked. Yes, that was what Remus said about her. "Yes, but the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters," he told them, no matter what he thought of someone. "I know she's a nasty piece of work, though — you should hear Remus talk about her."

"Does Lupin know her?" asked Harry quickly. Sirius shook his head and told them grimly about the anti-werewolf legislation that she created two years ago and now how it was almost impossible for him to get a job anymore. All three of them looked outraged at that and Hermione demanded to know what she had against werewolves.

"Scared of them, I expect," said Sirius, smiling at her indignation, glad that someone else wanted to strangle that toad for all that she put Remus to. He also mentioned about how she loathed part humans. She wanted to have merpeople rounded up and tagged, before he joked that they would just be wasting their time since they have things like Kreacher running around. Predictably, Hermione frowned at him and began to tell him off for that, but he ignored her as he asked what her lessons were like and if they were being taught how to kill 'half-breeds'.

"No," said Harry, "She's not letting us use magic at all!"

"All we do is read the stupid textbook," Ron added angrily.

Sirius smirked. "Ah, well, that figures. Our information from inside the Ministry is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat."

"Trained in combat!" repeated Harry incredulously. "What does he think we're doing here, forming some sort of wizard army?"

He hit the nail on the head, so to speak.

"That's exactly what he thinks you're doing," said Sirius, "or, rather, that's exactly what he's afraid Dumbledore's doing - forming his own private army, with which he will be able to take on the Ministry of Magic."

They stared at him, as if trying to figure out if he was pulling their legs. But when he didn't say anything, Ron seemed to voice their opinions. "That's the most stupid thing I've ever heard, including all the stuff that Luna Lovegood comes out with!"

"So we're being prevented from learning Defense Against the Dark Arts because Fudge is scared we'll use spells against the Ministry?" Hermione cried out in outrage.

"Yep," said Sirius answered, "Fudge thinks Dumbledore will stop at nothing to seize power. He's getting more paranoid about Dumbledore by the day. It's a matter of time before he has Dumbledore arrested on some trumped-up charge."

Not that he would be broken up about it, but the more reasonable part of his mind that sounded like Remus, reminded him that he needed to say here and protect the students. Harry surprised him by asking if he knew if there was going to be anything about Dumbledore in the paper tomorrow. Apparently, the rouge Weasley said there would be.

"I don't know," said Sirius, unable to hide the anger and bitterness in his voice, "I haven't seen anyone from the Order all weekend, they're all busy. It's just been Kreacher and me here."

"So you haven't had any news about Hagrid, either?" Harry asked, sounding disappointed. Sirius stated that he was supposed to be back by now and that they weren't sure, but he knew he made a mistake when he saw their stricken faces and tried to remind them that Hagrid could take care of himself, that there wasn't anything to worry about. He tried to tell them not to ask about him, it would just draw even more attention to the fact that he wasn't back and that would only cause trouble for them all. He suddenly had an idea and asked when their next Hogsmeade weekend was. But before he could finish, Harry and Hermione both almost screamed out no.

"Sirius, didn't you see the Daily Prophet?" said Hermione anxiously.

"Oh, that," said Sirius, grinning as he thought back to what the paper said about him hiding in London from the other day, "they're always guessing where I am, they haven't really got a clue -"

"Yeah, but we think this time they have," said Harry quickly. "Something Malfoy said on the train made us think he knew it was you, and his father was on the platform, Sirius - you know, Lucius Malfoy - so don't come up here, whatever you do. If Malfoy recognizes you again -"

Sirius frowned heavily at him as he snapped that he just thought he might like to get together.

"I would, I just don't want you chucked back in Azkaban!" said Harry anxiously. There was a pause between them and Sirius suddenly felt a surge of anger go through him as he looked at Harry.

"You're less like your father than I thought," he said finally, his voice cold. "The risk would've been what made it fun for James."

Harry looked hurt at Sirius's tone, and looked ready to try and say something but Sirius was done right now. He didn't want to see him anymore tonight as he made up an excuse about hearing Kreacher. "I'll write to tell you a time I can make it back into the fire, then, shall I? If you can stand to risk it?"

He spent the next ten minutes pacing angrily around the room, trying to control his anger. How could he do this? He just wanted to see him that's all! If he rather not see him then that's his problem now isn't it? They think they have it bad? At least they can get outside and be around people! He can't even do that much!

Bitterly, he went through that cupboards and found a bottle of Firewhiskey before he went up to his old bedroom and lay down on the bed bitterly. He glared up at the ceiling for several long minutes, listening to the slight scuffle of mice inside the walls before his eyes fell on the picture on the wall. It was back when they were getting ready to leave school… but they wanted to take one last photo before they left so that they could always remember the good times.

Sirius stared at himself—young and handsome—standing next to his best friend in the whole world.

"James…" he whispered. "It really would've been fun for you wouldn't it?"

He sighed as he rolled over and shut his eyes, a small part of him hoping that when he woke up, it would be back in Gryffindor Tower with James yelling at him to get up or else they'd miss breakfast.

At least in his dreams he can return to those happy days.

*A few weeks later*

Time seemed to crawl on forever after that gloomy night. He didn't try to get in contact with Harry, nor did he want to at the moment. It was always a relief to see someone coming through the door, even if they brought grim news with them, he was at least talking to someone other than Kreacher.

But during one meeting he heard great news—despite everyone else's worry about it. Grinning, he sent another message to Harry, letting him know to meet him in the common room at the same time as before.

When the clock stuck, he stuck his head into the fire and there they were, waiting for him.

"Hi," he said, grinning at them all as they all joined him near the fire, even Crookshanks was purring loudly when he saw him, getting as close as he could to him as Sirius asked how things were going for them.

"Not that good," said Harry, as Hermione pulled Crookshanks back to stop him singeing his whiskers. "The Ministry's forced through another decree, which means we're not allowed to have Quidditch teams -"

"Or secret Defense Against the Dark Arts groups?" Sirius asked knowingly and they stared at him, before Harry demanded to know how he knew about that. Sirius only grinned ever wider. "You want to choose your meeting places more carefully. The Hog's Head, I ask you."

"Well, it was better than the Three Broomsticks!" said Hermione defensively. "That's always packed with people -"

"Which means you'd have been harder to overhear," Sirius spoke up and her eyes widen as she thought that over. "You've got a lot to learn, Hermione."

"Who overheard us?" Harry demanded.

"Mundungus, of course," he said and he started laughing at their stunned expressions, telling them that he was that witch under the veil and that he was keeping an eye on Harry for them all. Perhaps he shouldn't have mentioned that for Harry's eyes suddenly turned hard and he demanded angrily, "I'm still being followed?!"

"Yeah, you are," he answered back, his chest swelling with pride as he thought about how they were fighting back, "and just as well, isn't it, if the first thing you're going to do on your weekend off is organize an illegal defense group."

"Why was Dung hiding from us?" asked Ron, sounding disappointed. "We'd've liked to've seen him."

Sirius snorted as he quickly told them that he was banned from the Hog's Head twenty years ago and that the barman has one heck of a memory. And he also passed on Molly's warning—which Ron was looking wary of.

"She says on no account whatsoever are you to take part in an illegal secret Defense Against the ark Arts group. She says you'll be expelled for sure and your future will be ruined. She says there will be plenty of time to learn how to defend yourself later and that you are too young to be worrying about that right now," he said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at that. What was the point in learning if you got killed before that? He then added to Harry and Hermione that she advised them not to do it either, though she knows that she has no authority over them. She'd have said this to them in a letter, but she knew how much trouble they would've been in and she couldn't say it herself because she was on duty.

"On duty doing what?" said Ron quickly.

"Never you mind, just stuff for the Order," he told him and Ron was looking crestfallen at that. "So it's fallen to me to be the messenger and make sure you tell her I passed it all on, because I don't think she trusts me to."

"So, you want me to say I'm not going to take part in the Defense group?" Harry muttered darkly after a few minutes of silence.

Now Sirius was surprised that he would think that. "Me? Certainly not! I think it's an excellent idea!"

"You do?" he stuttered in surprise.

"Of course I do!" said Sirius. "D'you think your father and I would've lain down and taken orders from an old hag like Umbridge?"

"But - last term all you did was tell me to be careful and not take risks -" Harry pointed out before Sirius shook his head.

"Last year, all the evidence was that someone inside Hogwarts was trying to kill you, Harry!" he said in annoyance, "This year, we know there's someone outside Hogwarts who'd like to kill us all, so I think learning to defend yourselves properly is a very good idea!"

"And if we do get expelled?" Hermione asked, a quizzical look on her face. Both boys stared at her, reminding her that this was all her idea to begin with and she only shrugged at it.

"Well, better expelled and able to defend yourselves than sitting safely in school without a clue," he told them as the boys agreed enthusiastically. Sirius than began to ask them for more juicy details about their meetings, but it turned out they hadn't had a place set up yet and he suggested the Shrieking Shack—which Hermione shot down at once.

"Fair point," he muttered bitterly when he realized that she was right about why they shouldn't use it. Darn, and he had been hoping to make himself useful here. "Well, I'm sure you'll come up with somewhere. There used to be a pretty roomy secret passageway behind that big mirror on the fourth floor, you might have enough space to practice jinxes in there."

"Fred and George told me it's blocked," Harry spoke up. "Caved in or something."

"Oh…" he said, frowning again before he said that he'll think it over and get back to them… but then he stopped. He turned sideways and through the fire he could see that someone was coming for him, a hand covered in ugly rings stretched out and he pulled himself back out at once as he just missed her fingers grabbing his hair. His heart beating hard, he quickly pulled out his wand to put out the fire to make sure that no one could follow him here, leaving him in pitch darkness…

*Weeks later*

It was nearing Christmas time now and he was watching the flakes of snow falling through the window with a grim expression of his face. He had said goodbye to Remus and Tonks a little earlier, with Remus promising that he would be back the next day.

Sirius only sighed and nodded, though he wasn't getting his hopes up. He slowly got up and went back downstairs to the kitchen, wanting another bottle of Firewhiskey, when he heard the annoyingly smug voice of his horrible great-great grandfather Phineas.

"What do you want you miserable snake?" Sirius snapped at him when he found him in one of the portraits.

"Is that any way to talk to your elders?" Phineas asked snidely. Phineas then gave him the message from Dumbledore and Sirius felt his heart freeze. Arthur had been attacked and that the Weasleys, and Harry would be coming over. "I'll be delighted to have them!" he said, his heart soaring a little, despite the fear he felt for Arthur as he ran down to the kitchen.

After a few minutes, they all appeared in a tangle of limbs. Kreacher, who was in the room when they had appeared, spoke up, "Back again, the blood-traitor brats. Is it true their father's dying?"

"OUT!" he roared at him as they all scrambled to their feet, and staring around as he helped Ginny to his feet, asking what was going on.

One of the twins, Fred, spoke up, pointing to Harry, "Ask Harry."

"Yeah, I want to hear this for myself," said George at once as they all looked to Harry, who was as pale as any ghost. "It was - I had a - a kind of – vision."

"Vision?" Sirius asked in concern as Harry shook his head helplessly and told them everything he had seen. Ron, who was looking just as pale, glanced at him worriedly for a second, but he didn't say anything as Harry finished telling them how he had somehow seen what had happened. Everyone was looking at him with concern before Fred asked if their mother was here.

"She probably doesn't even know what's happened yet," he told him with a shake of the head. "The important thing was to get you away before Umbridge could interfere. I expect Dumbledore's letting Molly know now."

"We've got to go to St. Mungo's," Ginny said suddenly and asked quickly, "Sirius, can you lend us cloaks or anything?"

"Hang on, you can't go tearing off to St. Mungo's!" he said at once as they all glared at him. The twins especially, saying that they had every right to go because he was their father.

"And how are you going to explain how you knew Arthur was attacked before the hospital even let his wife know?" he demanded and George snapped back that he didn't care less, what did it matter? Of course it mattered! The ministry was sure to have people there and the last thing that they wanted was for them to draw attention to the fact that Harry was able to know about this.

"It matters because we don't want to draw attention to the fact that Harry is having visions of things that are happening hundreds of miles away!" said Sirius angrily, trying hard not to think of what the ministry would do to his godson if they did know what happened. "Have you any idea what the Ministry would make of that information?"

Again, they were all looking upset and Ginny piped up, saying that someone else could've told them other than Harry.

"Like who?" he retorted. "Listen, your dad's been hurt while on duty for the Order and the circumstances are fishy enough without his children knowing about it seconds after it happened, you could seriously damage the Order's -"

"We don't care about the dumb Order!" shouted Fred.

"It's our dad dying we're talking about!" yelled George.

And this was why they weren't in the Order. If they acted like this, then their parents were right and that they weren't old enough for such a task. They had to be able to risk things, and if they didn't have the guts to sacrifice things, even if they were important, then they shouldn't join. He tried to tell them that there were things out there worth dying for and then Fred yelled out, "Easy for you to say, stuck here! I don't see you risking your neck!"

Sirius wanted nothing more than to slug that angry look right off Fred's face. But he was breathing hard through his nose, trying to calm down, trying to remind himself that they were upset about their dad. When he spoke again, he surprised himself to hear how calm he did sound.

"I know it's hard, but we've all got to act as though we don't know anything yet. We've got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, all right?" he said. The twins continued to look like they were ready to argue, but the other three seemed to understand as they took some seats and waited. The twins continued to glare at him before they also sat down.

Once he was sure that he had calmed down enough to speak clearly, he brought out some Butterbeer and sat them down in front of them. They all sat there for the rest of the night, no one speaking or even look at each other. After about an hour, fire burst in midair and they all cried out in shock as a single scroll of parchment fell with one of Fawkes feathers.

"Fawkes!" said Sirius at once, snatching up the parchment and looked at it, "That's not Dumbledore's writing – it must be a message from your mother - here -"

Still not looking at Fred, he put it into George's hand, who read: "Dad is still alive. I am setting out for St. Mungo's now. Stay where you are. I will send news as soon as I can. Mum." George looked around the table. "Still alive…" he said slowly. "But that makes it sound…"

He didn't finish, but no one need him to. They all stared at the parchment before Fred took and it read it himself before he looked to Harry, as if hoping that he could tell him anything. But Harry kept his head down, his hand was shaking on his drink.

Sirius suggested that they should all go to bed, but the Weasleys all glared at him and he let it go. They all sat there for hours, no one saying anything as they sat there. He looked at Harry every so often, all of them waiting… and then finally, just after five, Molly came in. She was as pale as the rest of them, Fred, Ron, and Harry were getting up from their chairs before she gave them a forced smile.

"He's going to be all right," she said, her voice weak with tiredness. "He's sleeping. We can all go and see him later. Bill's sitting with him now; he's going to take the morning off work."

Relief came over everybody here. Feeling better than he had for weeks, he jumped to his feet and began calling for Kreacher, but the elf didn't come. No longer caring, he began to go around the kitchen, and started talking about breakfast. Harry came over to help, but Molly wouldn't let him as she pulled him into a tight hug, telling him as she choked back tears how grateful she was to him. If it hadn't been for him, they might not have been able to find Arthur for hours and it would've been too late by then.

Harry looked like he rather have been anywhere than there, but she soon turned to him and thanked him for looking after them all night. He told her that he was just been glad to do something helpful and even offered for them to stay for as long as Arthur was in the hospital. She thought it over before mentioning that it would mean they're here for Christmas and Sirius couldn't have been happier.

"The more the merrier!" said Sirius with such obvious honesty that Molly actually smiled at him and began to help him make breakfast. But then Harry spoke up, "Sirius, can I have a quick word? Er - now?"

He looked up at him in surprise, noticing how pale he was and followed him into the dark pantry where Harry went on in a rush about everything, telling him the whole truth about how he had seen the attack from the snake's point of view.

When he stopped to catch his breath, Sirius asked worried, "Did you tell Dumbledore this?"

"Yes," said Harry impatiently, "but he didn't tell me what it meant. Well, he doesn't tell me anything anymore."

"I'm sure he would have told you if it was anything to worry about," said Sirius steadily, trying to convince himself as well as to Harry, but he was shaking his head. "But that's not all," he said in a voice only a little above a whisper. "Sirius, I… I think I'm going mad. Back in Dumbledore's office, just before we took the Portkey… for a couple of seconds there I thought I was a snake, I felt like one - my scar really hurt when I was looking at Dumbledore -Sirius, I wanted to attack him!"

Sirius was glad for the dark, for he didn't want Harry to see his anxious expression. He felt fear in the pit of his stomach before he tried to reassure Harry that it was just the aftermath, which he was still thinking about the vision.

Harry shook his head, now sounding angry as he said, "It wasn't that, it was like something rose up inside me, like there's a snake inside me."

Sirius said firmly that he just needed to eat and go to bed. That he was in shock, and blaming himself for something he only saw. That think of it as a good thing that he saw it and that he should stop worrying.

He clapped Harry on the shoulder and left the pantry, leaving Harry standing alone in the dark. Harry hardly ate any breakfast though and didn't even look at him as he went up to bed with the others. Thankfully, Sirius was spared from asking when Dumbledore showed up. He nodded his head at him as he came into the kitchen as Molly went around to cleaning up the table.

"They were all up all night worrying," Molly said, "I sent them all off to bed, we'll all go visit Arthur later once they wake up. Oh, I can't tell you how scared I was when I was told, I didn't know how I was able to sit there and wait for St. Mungo's to send word. I wanted to rush in there as soon as you told me. Thank goodness for the Healers. They said that he lost a lot of blood, but that he was found early enough to prevent any lasting harm. Yes, they all said that he should make a full recovery."

"That's good to hear, Molly," Dumbledore said sincerely. "I am glad to know. But tell me, did Arthur say anything to you on what happened?"

"He said that he dozed off while he was standing guard," she said, wiping her eyes. "When he woke up, there was that giant snake! He panicked and tried to attack it, and that's when it bit him."

"Nagini," Dumbledore nodded with a frown. "Yes, I had a feeling that's the case."

"But Dumbledore," she said turning to him. "How was Harry able to see it? Your message said…?"

"Dumbledore," Sirius interrupted, frowning suddenly, turning to look at him with a deadly serious look in his eyes. "That's something I'd like to know too. What is happening to my godson? He told me what he saw last night… but what he said doesn't make any sense!"

"I know," the old man said, turning to look away. "It's what I've been afraid of."

"What?" she croaked out.

He sighed as he looked back to her. "Harry and Voldemort—" she flinched, "Are connected. Up until now, Voldemort hadn't been aware of this connection."

"What do you mean _'up until now'_?" Sirius barked. "You mean he knows now?"

Dumbledore looked truly grim as he said, "Listen to me. Ever since the summer before last, Harry started having these dreams. As far as I'm aware of, this is only the third time that it happened. But the thing is, these dreams aren't really dreams. They're flashes of being inside Voldemort's mind. While quite strange, these dreams appear to be what I shall call "Connection Dreams" because they are the result of a telepathic link between Harry and Voldemort. Harry had a vision in which Voldemort had possessed his pet snake, Nagini, and used her to break into the Ministry of Magic. And because of that, Harry was able to see what was happening last night."

"But why is that?" Molly demanded.

He ran his hand through his white hair. "As a result of Voldemort's attack Harry when he was an infant, the cursed scar flares up at odd times, and Harry awakes from certain dreams in great pain. The scar is a connection to Lord Voldemort, which gives Harry access to Voldemort's feelings and emotions and ultimately his thoughts and activities while awake and especially while sleeping."

"But why is that?" Sirius demanded, his heart beating so fast that it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. It was what they had all feared. Harry's mind was in danger of Voldemort's influence. But all the old man could say was that these were theories. As he turned to leave Sirius said angrily, "What Harry said… he said that for a second he wanted to attack you?"

Dumbledore still had his back to him as he stopped to listen to Sirius say fearfully, "He said that just before they left by Portkey, Harry felt like the snake again and his scar hurt when he looked at you. He said that he was close to attacking you. What is this about? What does this mean?"

"I see," he said softly.

"That's all you've got to say to me?" Sirius demanded angrily. "Give me some straight answers for once. I want to know what's wrong with my godson?"

"I'm afraid that I can't do that, Sirius," he answered, his voice empty of all emotions. "For I don't know myself."

*The next day*

Sirius knew that something was wrong with Harry after they got back from St. Mungo's. But he went running up the stairs before anyone could ask him.

Sirius did his best to try and put those dark feelings out of his mind. He tried to focus only on the fact that he was going to have so many people here for Christmas. They were all putting up decorations the following morning, actually singing carols. Around six that evening, Hermione showed up at the front door, telling them that she decided to stay here for Christmas. She smiled as she asked where the others where and went upstairs to greet them.

He didn't know what happened, but Harry soon returned to his old self after he had both his friends at his sides again… and was back with everyone else. Once he learned that, he felt a happiness that he couldn't remember having. This would be the first Christmas in fourteen years that he didn't have to spend alone. He was determined that they wouldn't regret it. He worked tirelessly in the run-up to Christmas Day, cleaning and decorating with their help, so that by the time they all went to bed on Christmas Eve the house was barely recognizable. The tarnished chandeliers were no longer hung with cobwebs but with garlands of holly and gold and silver streamers; magical snow glittered in heaps over the threadbare carpets; a great Christmas tree, obtained by Mundungus and decorated with live fairies, blocked Sirius's family tree from view, and even the stuffed elf-heads on the hall wall wore Father Christmas hats and beards.

He loved every moment of it.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves… at least until the stray Weasley sent back the jumper that Molly made for him. The twins weren't helping, in fact, they only made things worse. Thankfully, Remus took over and offered her words of comfort. Sirius only nodded, knowing that he wasn't good with words, and most likely would've made it worse.

Later though, as he went looking around the pantry for the turkey, he spotted the three looking into Kreacher's cupboard by the boiler.

"I think I'll just leave his present here," said Hermione, setting a present inside. "He'll find it later, that'll be fine."

Sirius rolled his eyes as he came out and asked, "Come to think of it, has anyone actually seen Kreacher lately?"

"I haven't seen him since the night we came back here," said Harry, looking up at him. "You were ordering him out of the kitchen."

"Yeah…" said Sirius, frowning as he thought it over, "You know, I think that's the last time I saw him, too… he must be hiding upstairs somewhere."

"He couldn't have left, could he?" said Harry, and for some reason, he sounded worried. "I mean, when you said 'out', maybe he thought you meant get out of the house?"

"No, no, house-elves can't leave unless they're given clothes. They're tied to their family's house," said Sirius, not the least bit concerned until Harry added that he knew a house-elf that managed to do it. Sirius was unsettled for a moment as he thought it over and shook his head. Wherever Kreacher was, he wasn't going to let it ruin his holiday.

He just shrugged it off and smiled joyfully as everyone else soon joined him downstairs.

**(Merry Christmas! Hope you enjoy it and may it bring you all a little extra joy. ;-)**


	29. The Quibbler's Article

_**Chapter 28: The Quibbler's Article**_

Arthur was recovering well since being in St. Mungo's, in fact everyone seemed confident that he should be out any day now. Sirius heard the whole story from Arthur's view from the others when they got back, but Molly said that they weren't going to talk about until the kids all went up to bed.

So when the kids all finally trooped up to bed, they all told him how Arthur explained that he had been guarding the door to the Department of Mysteries that night, but he had a long day at work, and hadn't much sleep the night before.

"And he fell asleep," Moody grunted in disappointment. "I expected better from him."

"Be nice," Tonks said to him, giving him a warning look to show some tact for once, "Anyway, he said that he heard the snake and woke up. But by the time he went for his wand, the snake was attacking him, and biting him. He said that by the time that it was leaving he was blacking out—all that he knew for sure next was that he was waking up in St. Mungo's. They still haven't found a way to cure the poison in his wounds—"

"Stitches, I tell you," Molly tutted to herself angrily.

"—but the Healers though are confident that they'll find a cure sooner or later," Tonks finished happily. "All in all, Arthur's taking the fact that he was attacked by a bloody big snake very well."

"That's good," Kingsley said in his calming voice. "It might've been hours before someone found him; he probably would've have made it if Potter didn't see it happening. But…?"

"But how did he see it though?" Tonks asked in fascination as she thought the whole thing over. "I mean, he can't see the future since it's happening right now… I think…"

"Not that I'm complaining," Molly said, getting up from the table and went over to the tea kettle to make herself a cup of tea. "Arthur is gonna make a full recovery. And I can't tell you how grateful I am for that."

"We all are," Remus reassured her, "But the fact that Harry was able to see the crime scene while he was hundreds of miles away can't be a good sign. He said that he witnessed the attack in his dream?"

"That's what he told me," Sirius said, leaned on the table as he thought it all over. "He said that he was having a normal dream at first but then it changed suddenly and he was seeing what was going on during the attack."

He didn't tell them what Harry said about seeing it from the inside of the very eyes of the snake though. If Harry trusted him enough to tell him something that scared him like that, then he wasn't going to betray that trust by telling the others if Harry didn't want them to know about it.

"After he saw it, he was able to tell Dumbledore the whole story and raise the alarm," Tonks summed up for all of them.

"Harry seemed so upset for a while after that," Molly said, as she filled the kettle with water. "But I'm glad to see that he's cheered up since then. I was getting worried about him."

"What are we gonna do though?" Kingsley said in worry, "The fact is, if Harry could see what Voldemort is doing through his dreams, who's to say that Voldemort won't try to use it against us?"

Molly, who flinched at the name, whispered, "Dumbledore seems to be growing more and more worried about Harry every day. But he says that he's going to come up with a way to prevent Harry from having these dreams."

"As useful as it has been," Moody grunted in agreement, "I think it's in the best interests of the boy that we find a way to stop them from happening."

They spent the next hour talking about other news, or lack thereof, before they all turned in for the night as well. But over the next few days, Sirius's determination of everyone having a good Christmas now over, his mood was now sinking back into his depression.

"Already the house is getting worse," Sirius said to Remus late the evening that the kids were going to be sent back to school.

"Sirius," Remus stated tiredly, "We've been over this; Harry _needs_ to go back."

"I know that," he muttered moodily as he swung down an entire bottle of Butterbeer, still angry at Remus for finding his stash of Firewhiskey and throwing it out—saying it was bad for his health if he kept drinking like that. "Doesn't mean I have to like it. You know, I've heard them all talking about Umbridge. She sounds like a bloody nightmare from the way they talk about her. Did you know that she had Harry and the twins taken off the Quidditch team? Sure sounds like Queen Toad is making things miserable for everyone at school."

"And I'm sure that you're loving the fact that Harry and the others came up with their Defense group?" Remus asked knowingly, making himself some hot chocolate.

"Of course," Sirius smirked proudly, "You think that we would've sat back and do nothing while that toad is on the march?"

"And if they're caught, they'll be expelled," Remus added, "I'm sure that the idea of kicking the 'Boy Who Lived' out of school would be a field day for Fudge."

"Better they know how to defend themselves than not," Sirius said stubbornly. Remus merely made a noise in his throat before he changed the subject, asking if they ever found Kreacher.

"Yeah," Sirius said in disgust, "He was upstairs looking for more junk to try and save. Don't know why you bother with him."

"I just think that you shouldn't see him as no threat," Remus answered, as he added some coco to the mix. "He has the potential to be a problem for us later on if we're not careful."

Sirius shrugged. "I forbade him from telling anyone else what the Order is up to," he reminded him, "And he can't do much without his master's word can he?"

Remus shrugged, but still looked uneasy. He opened his mouth and looked ready to speak when the door opened and a familiar figure slithered into the room. Sirius's eyes narrowed angrily at the sight of Snape there, who was also looking bored and disgusted whenever he saw him.

"Evening, Severus," Remus said politely when he saw him. "Was their supposed to be a meeting tonight or something?"

Sirius couldn't understand how Remus could be so nice to such a rotten guy.

"No," Snape answered stiffly. "I'm here because the Headmaster sent me." He held up a sealed envelope and Sirius raised his eyebrows at it.

"For me?" he asked, "Since when did you become his personal owl?"

"Believe me," he retorted coldly, "I'm not the least bit happy about this either. I was told to give this to you and speak to Potter."

"What about Harry?" Sirius asked, sounding angry now. "What? You're stalking him here to make sure that he did his homework?"

"His homework is mediocre at best," Snape answered coolly as he shoved the letter into his hands.

"I have to leave anyway," Remus said quickly, "But I'll let Molly know that you need to see him. She'll get him for you." He looked between the two of them and added, halfway out the door, "Just try not to kill each other until he gets down here?"

He left after that and Sirius ripped open the letter to see what it was about here, though he kept one eye on Snape as he glared at him from across the table.

_Dear Sirius,_

_I know that you won't be happy to hear this, but I believe that it is in Harry's best interest that he learns Occulmency for his own protection. As I'm sure you must know, Harry was able to see into Voldemort's mind, if only for a short time, but there's no doubt in my mind that Voldemort is also aware of this by now as well. And if he uses this to his advantage, it could end up putting him in a lot of danger. That is why I have arranged for Severus to start teaching him Occulmency as soon as possible so that he could learn to block out Voldemort and be better protect. Please, it is for Harry's safety._

_Dumbledore_

"Why you?" Sirius snarled at him, feeling cold inside at the thought of what Voldemort could end up doing with this kind of knowledge. Was it possible that he could end up seeing through Harry's eyes as well? That they were all in a lot of danger from this? He couldn't bear the thought of it. He agreed that Occulmency was probably the best option for them, but why the hell did it have to be Snape to teach him?! What was Dumbledore thinking?!

"I suggest you ask him," Snape snarled back. "Now leave."

"Why?" Sirius demanded.

"Because I need to speak about this to Potter alone," he answered silkily.

"I'll stay if I want to," he retorted childishly, "You're not the boss of me."

It became a glaredown. The silence between them was so thick that you could cut right through it with a knife. But a few minutes later, they then heard the door open and Harry stepped in, making a noise in his throat so that they knew he was here. Snape glared at him, his long, greasy hair framing his shallow face before he told Harry to sit down.

How dare that bastard give his godson orders here? He may not be able to stop how he treats Harry at school, but he wasn't going to let him bully him here. "You know," he said, leaning back on his chairs back legs and looking up, "I think I'd prefer it if you didn't give orders here, Snape. It's my house, you see."

Though he couldn't see it, he could almost feel the angry flush in Snape's face at those words and he felt that knot of anxiety inside him loosen slightly. Harry took a seat next to him as they looked at Snape, and he could almost feel the nervousness from his godson.

"I was supposed to see you alone, Potter," Snape said and Sirius could almost hear the sneer on his face, "but Black -"

"I'm his godfather," he interrupted him at once. If this was about his godson, of course he'd want to know about it!

Snape was becoming increasingly irritated with every word he spoke. "I am here on Dumbledore's orders," he answered coldly, "but by all means stay, Black, I know you like to feel… involved."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he barked back, letting his chair fall back on to all four legs with a loud bang. What he wouldn't give to slug this guy.

"Merely that I am sure you must feel - ah - frustrated by the fact that you can do nothing useful," Snape went on, making sure that he spoke long and slowly so that he couldn't hope to mishear what he was saying, "for the Order."

Sirius now felt the angry flush in his face as Snape's lips curled up smugly. Oh, he'd love to wipe that smirk right off his face. But now Snape was talking to Harry, "The Headmaster has sent me to tell you, Potter, that it is his wish for you to study Occlumency this term."

Harry looked confused and asked him what it was, which caused Snape to sneer even more. Sirius felt his eye twitch horribly at the sight of it.

"Occlumency, Potter," he went on. "The magical Defense of the mind against external penetration. An obscure branch of magic, but a highly useful one."

Harry immediately looked worked and asked quickly, "Why do I have to study Occlu — thing?"

"Because the Headmaster thinks it a good idea," Snape answered as if it was obvious. "You will receive private lessons once a week, but you will not tell anybody what you are doing, least of all Dolores Umbridge. You understand?"

Harry nodded, but when he asked who was going to be teaching him, Sirius was sure that both of their stomach dropped when Snape said, "I am."

Harry looked horrified as he turned back to him, and Sirius could see that he was pleading with him with his eyes for help.

"Why can't Dumbledore teach Harry?" he demanded hostilely. "Why you?"

Severus merely shrugged and told him in a slimy voice that it was Dumbledore's privilege to delegate less 'enjoyable' tasks. He merely decided to leave and told Harry, in a warning, that he was to come to his office at six and if anyone asks, he was to tell him that he was taking remedial Potions. With one last insult at Harry, he turned to leave; but Sirius wasn't going to just sit here and do nothing… let this snake get away that easily.

"Wait a moment," he called, sitting up straight in his chair.

Snape turned back to him in irritation, sneering, "I am in rather a hurry, Black. Unlike you, I do not have unlimited leisure time."

"I'll get to the point, then," said Sirius, standing up and walking over to stand right in front of him. he kept an eye on Snape's hand, where he knew he was holding his wand, and said darkly, silently letting him know he intended to follow through with this threat, "If I hear you're using these Occlumency lessons to give Harry a hard time, you'll have me to answer to."

"How touching," Snape sneered back at him before he asked, "But surely you have noticed that Potter is very like his father?"

"Yes, I have," said Sirius proudly. It was true… Harry truly was his father's son.

"Well then, you'll know he's so arrogant that criticism simply bounces off him," Snape said sleekly. Rage that Sirius hadn't felt in years boiled up inside him. Over two decades of hatred for this snake rose up like a volcano, unable to bear it as the months of anger and frustration spilled over. He reached for his wand just as Snape whipped out his own—a duel was all he wanted, it would be such a welcomed relief to take his anger out on this same roach who made it his mission in life to see him and his friends get in trouble.

He could hear Harry behind him saying his name, trying to get them to stop, but Sirius ignored him. He wasn't going to let Snivellus get away with what he just said about James. Why wasn't he cheering him on and let him curse him? James would've done that.

"I've warned you, Snivellus," he snarled, getting up close and personal, "I don't care if Dumbledore thinks you've reformed, I know better -"

"Oh, but why don't you tell him so?" Snape whispered back, almost like a dare. "Or are you afraid he might not take very seriously the advice of a man who has been hiding inside his mother's house for six months?"

Does he honestly think that he wants to be in this dump? If he had known that Dumbledore would've made him stay locked up here in a cage all this time he never would've suggested it.

"Tell me, how is Lucius Malfoy these days?" Sirius challenged him, knowing that Snape loved every moment of pretending to be on their side, "I expect he's delighted his lapdog's working at Hogwarts, isn't he?"

"Speaking of dogs," Snape shot back quietly, "did you know that Lucius Malfoy recognized you last time you risked a little jaunt outside? Clever idea, Black, getting yourself seen on a safe station platform… gave you a cast-iron excuse not to leave your hidey-hole in future, didn't it?"

The only thing stopping him from cursing Snape into a thousand pieces right then and there was Harry, yelling at him to stop and standing between them.

"Are you calling me a coward?" Sirius demanded, trying to push Harry out of harm's way in case one of them finally snapped and attacked, but Harry stood where he was despite Sirius pushing him aside.

"Why, yes, I suppose I am," Snape sneered mockingly at him, showing that he clearly didn't regret what he said.

"Harry - get - out - of - it!" snarled Sirius, pushing him aside with his free hand. Snape could mock him all he wanted to, but how dare he disrespect James's death? How dare he? Just then, the door opened and the Weasley's came in with Hermione with Arthur looking completely healthy, announcing to them all that he was cured until they spotted him and Snape looking ready to kill each other and Harry trying to keep them from bloodshed.

The smiles faded and Arthur was asking what was going on before the two put their wands down. They glared at each other threatening, both of them wishing the other nothing but a painful death before Snape turned and left, stopping only to remind Harry, "Six o'clock, Monday evening, Potter."

Sirius was only sorry he didn't have the pleasure of throwing him out himself. He was breathing hard, some of his hatred gone, glad to have a real excuse to vent some of his anger before he turned back to the others, letting them know that it was just a 'friendly little chat' between two old friends. Really though, compared to some of the fights that they got into back at school, that was well behaved. But not wanting to ruin the happy reunion any more than he had, he forced a very painful smile and said, "So… you're cured? That's great news, really great."

"Yes, isn't it?" Molly asked, leading Arthur to a chair, determined that no one talk about what they just saw. She started to tell them about how Healer Smethwych found the antidote, and how Arthur learned his lesson about Muggle medicine, which he nodded to whatever she said as if he knew that he had misbehaved.

He forced another smile, but he just couldn't forget anything that the stupid git said to him.

_"__Merely that I am sure you must feel - ah - frustrated by the fact that you can do nothing useful for the Order."_

_"__Oh, but why don't you tell him so? Or are you afraid he might not take very seriously the advice of a man who has been hiding inside his mother's house for six months?"_

_"__Well then, you'll know he's so arrogant that criticism simply bounces off him."_

'_Damn you, Snape,'_ he thought bitterly. He wasn't the least bit hungry that night as they all sat down for dinner. He knew he should at least try to calm down, but he just couldn't bring himself to forget what Snape said to him. He tried his best to make sure everyone enjoyed themselves, but even when he forced himself to laugh at Fred and George's bad jokes or did anything else, he sank back into depression.

Harry was a few seats down from him, whispering to Ron and Hermione. He had a feeling that he was whispering to his friends about the Occlumency lessons. Yeah, he must be dreading them as much as he was just thinking about it. And the worst part was that he wouldn't know how that git would treat him. Though he was sure it would be horrible. Talk about punishment… no detention was as cruel as…

He stopped and blinked. Wait, why didn't he think of it before? There _was_ a way he could keep in contact with Harry after all and learn all the rotten stuff about that snake. So when dinner was over, he went up to his room to see if he could find them…

_*The next day*_

The next day everyone was getting ready to leave for Hogwarts. It was much less chaotic than it had been over the summer since they were to take the Knight Bus and didn't have to be there early in the morning. Tonks and Remus volunteered to escort them until Hogsmeade and everyone was anxious about it the next morning.

"You really think that this is a good idea?" Tonks asked them quietly since they could hear the others coming down the stairs, "I mean… it's no secret that Snape dislikes Harry…"

"Dislikes? The bastard hates him," Sirius retorted.

"Sirius," Molly scolded.

"What? It's the truth," he hissed back at her. "He has a grudge against me and James and now he's taking his anger out on Harry. I promise you, these 'lessons'," he made air quotations in the air at the last word, "Are gonna be nothing but an excuse for him to mentally torture him!"

"But Severus is an incredibly gifted when it comes to Occlumency," Remus pointed out.

"Why can't Dumbledore teach Harry?" Sirius asked hotly, he may be angry with him, but Harry was sure to learn more from him than Snape.

"Dumbledore seems really worried that being around Harry will put everyone in danger," Arthur told them. "I'm sure he's doing what he thinks is best…"

"Best for who?" Sirius demanded.

"You can't honestly think that this is easy for him," Molly told him in a scolding tone. "Dumbledore really does care about Harry. I think as much as you do, Sirius."

"Listen you…" he began angrily, but before they could go on any further, the kitchen door opened and Harry was there. They all fell silent at once and Molly took this chance to ask Harry what he wanted for breakfast.

After they all had a quick meal, everyone was saying goodbye in the hall. With Molly distracted, Sirius pulled Harry aside and thrust the package that he spent all night looking for.

"What is it?" Harry asked as he looked at it in surprise.

"A way of letting me know if Snape's giving you a hard time," he said before he quickly added, "No, don't open it in here!" He looked pointedly at Molly, who was trying to get the twins to wear their mittens, and they rolled their eyes at her—looking a little resentful by being treated like little kids. "I doubt Molly would approve - but I want you to use it if you need me, all right?"

"Okay," said Harry, stowing the package away in the inside pocket of his jacket, before Sirius clapped a hand on his shoulder in a bracing way and led him back to the others. Molly and Arthur both said goodbye to him grateful, still thankful for his part in saving Arthur, and telling him to take care.

"Right - yeah," said Harry before he looked back to him. And as he looked into those green eyes, so much like his mother's, he wasn't sure why, but he suddenly had a bad feeling about this parting. Maybe it was because of that, that he gave him a quick, one-armed hug and whispered to him, "Look after yourself, Harry."

Harry opened his mouth, like he wanted to tell him something, but before he could, Tonks appeared and made them move around, down the stairs and out the door. The door of number twelve slammed shut behind them. After they left, Sirius turned and went miserably upstairs to Buckbeak's room, feeling more alone now than he had in months.

_*A few weeks later*_

It had already been a few weeks before Remus came back to the house after a miserable full moon. Sirius had spent almost all his time with Buckbeak and remembered happier times when he had been in the open air and flying free when he heard the doorbell ringing.

So glad to hear a human voice again, he quickly went downstairs and shut his mother up before he went to the door and opened to it see Remus barely standing there, looking ready to pass out. He was thinner than usual, his graying hair looking grayer, and white as a sheet. However, he wasn't covered with bite marks or scratches like how he was used to. He figured that Dumbledore must've been forcing Snape to make the Wolfsbane Potion. At least that slimy git had some uses.

He took Remus by the arm and helped him inside and over to where the kitchen was so that he could get a cup of tea.

"You know," he teased him with their old joke, "You look like something a wolf dragged in."

"Shut up," Remus croaked out, but his lips were curled into a smile. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a half-eaten chocolate bar and Sirius let out a bark of laughter.

"Your cure-all for all ailments once again?" he asked knowingly.

"Nothing hits the spot like it," he smiled back tiredly as Sirius went to magically heat the kettle, knowing that Moony needed a little pick-me-up after a full moon.

"Seriously," he said, "No pun intended, but what happened? You've been living among werewolves for a while now but you don't bother spending the full moon with them?"

"No," Remus shuddered, "Some of them like to hunt in packs, and I rather not resort to something like that. I've tried again and again to talk to them all, but they're all too scared of Greyback."

"Greyback…" Sirius muttered softly to himself, before his eyes narrowed. "He's the one who…?"

"Who bit me when I was a child, yes," Remus answered him grimly. "And he's clearly on Voldemort's side. He's made it very clear to everyone that anyone who has anything to do with Dumbledore will be killed. Whether by him or by someone else. And believe me when I say it's hard to argue with him. He's gotten to become the part of the monster that most people think of when they hear the word 'werewolf'. To be honest, I think his lust for blood and flesh is such that he doesn't hunt just on the full moon."

Sirius stared at him before he wrinkled his nose and muttered, "That's disgusting."

"Took the words outta my mouth," Remus said tiredly as he took another big bite of chocolate before he added, "But things are getting worse. Voldemort is on the move and Fudge is as good as helping him. And we have no way of letting the world know the truth of what's happening."

But that little problem was solved that next morning, Sirius came into the kitchen to get a surprise. Kingsley and Moody were both sitting there, pouring over a magazine, and looked up as he walked in.

"When did you two get in?" he asked them in surprise, not remembering letting them in.

"Just now," Kingsley replied in his calm tone. "Remus let us in."

"We just found this interesting article and thought that you would like to read it," Moody said with a grin. "I got to say, that kid's got some real guts doing this."

"Who's doing what now?" Remus asked as he limped into the kitchen right behind Sirius. After a good night's sleep he looked nearly back to normal, though still pale and weak like he had just gotten over a bad case of the flu.

"How are you feeling, Remus?" Kingsley asked him concerned as both men joined them at the table.

"Much better than yesterday," Remus said, sitting down next to him. "I've a bad headache, and I feel weak but nothing worse than that. But that's beside the point." He looked to the newcomers and asked, "Who were you talking about?"

Rather than explain, Kingsley pushed a magazine towards him from across the table. "I just got it this morning. I think that you might find this interesting."

Startled, Sirius picked it up and read the name of the publication to see that it was the Quibbler. "Oh, come on," he said scathingly. "The Quibbler's nothing but rubbish. I mean… do you remember that junk they wrote about me a few months ago?"

Kingsley smiled. "I think that you might like this article… looks like Harry's doing more of letting others that Voldemort's back than we are."

Alarmed, Sirius turned the front page back so quickly, he almost ripped it. Not that he paid it any attention to that, Remus leaned over and started to read over his shoulder.

There, grinning sheepishly, was his godson's picture—and in large red letters across this picture were the words:

**SPEAKS OUT AT LAST: THE TRUTH ABOUT HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN**

Sirius and Remus couldn't think of anything to say to this while Kingsley started to make some tea for them all.

"You should read it," Moody said helping himself to his flask. "I personally found it very convincing."

If Moody found something convincing, then you know it had to be good. But Sirius barely heard him, his eyes scanned over the article.

_**As soon as Cedric Diggory and I touched the Triwizard Cup during the Third Task, we were taken away, far away from Hogwarts. The cup had been a portkey… by the time that we finally landed on solid ground, we weren't anywhere near the school.**_

_**We had left Hogwarts grounds completely; we had obviously traveled miles - perhaps hundreds of miles - for even the mountains surrounding the castle were no longer there. Instead of the maze that we were in, we were standing in a dark and overgrown graveyard. **_

_**Waiting there for us… or rather for me… was Lord Voldemort.**_

_**Of course, Cedric and I had no idea who it was at first. All we could see was a hooded figure carrying a bundle of robes that at first, I thought was infant. Little did I know that it was just the beginning of the nightmare.**_

_**I couldn't make out the servant's face, but when he came nearer, my scar burned with pain. Ever since the night that Voldemort gave me this scar, for some reason—it hurts whenever he is near me. So I knew that it could only mean one thing… he was here.**_

_**I fell to my knees, trying hard to block out the pain… but I was able to hear the words in a cold, terrifying voice that I'd heard several times before call out the words, 'Kill the spare.'**_

_**I heard a wand move through the air, the spell that was screeched into the night by the servant, before I saw a blast of green light through my closed eyelids. When I heard the sound of something fall to the ground next to me—I opened my eyes… horrified of what I was about to see.**_

_**There… lying dead next to me… was Cedric Diggory. **_

_**I couldn't do anything but stare at his gray eyes that were open and glassy and that looked slightly surprised in death… I couldn't move, couldn't think—that was when the servant, Wormtail, or rather his real name Peter Pettigrew, pulled me to my feet. Peter Pettigrew was the real Death Eater who framed Sirius Black, an innocent man, for the crimes that he had actually committed before he faked his own death and went into hiding for all these years.**_

_**Wormtail had put down the bundle of robes and dragged me to a large marble headstone with the name, Tom Riddle—Voldemort's father—engraved upon it.**_

_**Wormtail had conjured up ropes and tied me to the grave that I couldn't move or run. He then gagged me and left for a short time. I was tied so tightly, that I could only look at what was in front of me. Cedric's body was lying just twenty feet away from me, as well as the Triwizard Cup and my wand—but also the bundle of robes was at my feet, and it seemed to be moving. **_

_**I can't explain how I knew, but I just somehow knew that I didn't want to see what was inside it. I just knew that whatever was in there, couldn't be a good thing. And a few minutes later, the largest snake that I had ever seen in my life was slithering through the overgrown grass and circling the headstone where I was tied… almost like it was impatient to shallow me whole. **_

_**I was so focused on the snake that I didn't see Wormtail until he came into my line of sight and was dragging a large stone cauldron, large for a full-grown man to sit in and it seemed to be full of water.**_

_**Whatever was inside the robes on the ground was stirring as though it was trying to free itself. Wormtail on the other hand was trying to light the cauldron as the snake slithered away out of my sight.**_

_**But the liquid in the cauldron began to bubble so I didn't pay too much attention to the snake. It water sent out sparks like whatever was in it was actually fire instead of a liquid. As steam began to billow out, the thing in the robes shouted at his servant to hurry.**_

_**Once the water began to glimmer, Wormtail had told his master that it was ready. I didn't understand what he meant until it was too late to try and stop it. He was talking about the ritual to restore Voldemort to his body.**_

_**Wormtail had bent down and picked up what was in the bundle, and I had seen what it was at last, though I wish that I never did. It was the most horrible creature that I had ever seen in my life. Imagine seeing the form of a human child that was revolting, slimy, and burnt - but worse, a hundred times worse. Many times, I had tried to forget it—but it haunts my dreams. A hairless and raw, reddish black creature that was so weak that it couldn't move on its own. **_

_**But its face was what scared me the most. Flat and snakelike—with cold, red eyes that held no mercy or compassion.**_

_**Yes, this was what Voldemort was reduced to for all these years.**_

_**Even Wormtail was repulsed by what his master had become. I could see the revulsion in his pale rat-like face as he carried Voldemort to the cauldron.**_

_**Wormtail dropped Voldemort into the cauldron and he sank to the bottom. I silently begged that the creature would drown as Wormtail raised his wand and shouted out the words, 'Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!'**_

_**That was when the ground at my feet had cracked and dust rose into the air before falling into the cauldron where Voldemort was waiting. The surface of the water hissed and it turned to a shade of the most poisonous-looking blue.**_

_**At this point, the whimpering Wormtail pulled out a dagger and sobbed out, **__**'**__**Flesh - of the servant - w-willingly given - you will - revive - your master.'**_

_**He then held up his right hand, a hand with a missing finger and swung… knowing what he was about to do, and not being able to bear watching it, I just closed my eyes. But though I could shut my eyes, I couldn't block my ears when I heard Wormtail scream. **_

_**I heard him fall to the ground before there was a sickening splash and I knew that the hand that he chopped off was also dropped into the cauldron. That was when the potion had turned a blood red.**_

_**I could hear Wormtail crying in pain, but it wasn't until I felt his breath on my face did I know that he was right in front of me. He choked out the words, **__**'**__**B-blood of the enemy… forcibly taken… you will… resurrect your foe.'**_

_**There wasn't anything that I could do to stop him. I was tied to the grave as he raised the dagger and pressed the point into my right arm. I could feel my blood seeping down as Wormtail pulled out a vial and caught a few drops of it.**_

_**Once he was done with me, he turned back to the cauldron, with my blood this time, and poured it in. The red potion had turned white and Wormtail fell to his knees and cried as he held the bleeding stump of an arm to him.**_

_**The potion in the meantime was simmering, sending its diamond sparks in all directions, so blindingly bright that it turned all else to velvety blackness. But still nothing happened…**_

_**I hoped again and again that everything had gone wrong, but knowing my luck, it just got worse.**_

_**Finally, white steam appeared and covered everything like a thick fog so that I couldn't see anything that wasn't within a foot of me.**_

_**And then I saw him. **_

_**Through the mist, I could see with waves of terror, the outline of a tall and skeletally thin man, rising up from the cauldron. He stepped out, and stared at me like a wolf stalking his wounded prey… while he examined his new body. I was forced to stare into the face that had haunted my nightmares ever since I first arrived at Hogwarts.**_

_**A face whiter than a skull, that had scarlet eyes with slits like a cat's, and a nose that was so flat that it resembled a snake…**_

_**Lord Voldemort had risen again.**_

The whole article was a lot longer than that, but Sirius couldn't read anymore. He suddenly felt sick. So instead he gave it to Remus who read it all the way through before putting it slowly down on the table. For a minute, no one spoke.

"I thought that it was bad hearing it second-hand from Dumbledore," Remus croaked. "But this…"

"I can't believe that he was forced to watch all that," Sirius stated quietly, his hatred for Wormtail rising, feeling like it was about to burst. How can someone actually be as rotten to actually do that to his best friend's son?

"Maybe now," Moody said quietly with another look at the Quibbler, "People will finally start to see that the boy hasn't been lying and that maybe the Ministry's run by a paranoid idiot. This sounds a lot more convincing than that crap the Prophet has been dishing out for months."

This was the man who saw enemies around every corner and he was calling someone else paranoid. Ironic.

Before anyone could say anything to that, the doorbell rang, which caused two things. The first was Remus getting up with surprising speed—despite his weakened state—and running into the hall. And the second was Sirius's mother's portrait to start screaming.

He heard the door opening, a slight bang, and the screaming stopped.

A few seconds later, Tonks came running in, her hair hyper-glow blonde today—and was carrying a copy of the Quibbler in her hands. "Did you guys hear…?!" she started until she saw them all there and the magazine on the table. Her face fell, "Awww, I wanted to tell you!"

"When did this come out?" Remus demanded as he came in.

"Yesterday, I think," Kingsley replied. "I just arrived at work and I heard some of my associates talking about it."

"So naturally, he told me, and we both came here to let you know," Moody said as his magical eye was spinning around reading the paper. "I think that maybe people will start to see some sense and realize that it's the Ministry that's the problem not Potter or Dumbledore."

"How though?" Sirius asked with a high-pitched laugh incredulously. "When did Harry do this?"

Everyone else shrugged. "No idea," Tonks said in an awed voice. "But it must've taken a lot for him to do it. But what really gets me is that it's Rita Skeeter who wrote it!"

"That cow?" Sirius yelled out furiously. "But it sounds so… so…"

"Truthful?" Tonks finished for him. "I know! That's what really gets me. How on earth did they convince someone like Rita to do this?"

"Serious blackmail is my bet," Mad-Eye laughed. "Love to know what they threatened her with when they told her to write this."

"I can't wait to see how the rest of the world takes this," Sirius smirked, "And the best part is that Fudge can't arrest him for this can he?"

"Freedom of the press and all that," Kingsley stated calmly. "But if he can find a way around this, and get Harry in trouble, I'm sure he will."

"Not when the world finally starts getting some real answers," Sirius smirked.

'_That's my boy,'_ he thought proudly.

**(Ya like it? Things are finally nearing the end of this story, and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to getting to the last few chapters. I'm thinking two or three more… maybe even four. But no more than that. Hope you liked it.)**


	30. Fireside Chats

_**Chapter 29: Fireside Chats**_

Sirius was up looking for that wretched elf once again. He hadn't seen him for a long time now and Remus was pestering him about it. So he agreed just to get him off his back, but he wasn't the least bit interested in looking for Kreacher. Instead he just wandered the halls, trying to find something to do… something to keep his mind off being trapped in this damn house.

But as he wandered, he heard Remus's voice hiss up at him. "Sirius? Sirius!"

Sirius stumbled a little, and banged against the wall—having Remus taken him by surprise. He cursed under his breath as he said irritably, "I'm not in the mood to talk now, Remus."

He emerged from the shadows to be cast in pale relief by the light from the rest of the house. The moment that he appeared out of the darkness, he looked like some kind of ghost that had been haunting the home with an angry, desolate air. "No, I haven't found that damn elf yet. So if that's what you're…?"

"It's not that, it's Harry, Sirius, downstairs quickly!" he said at once. "He's here. In the fireplace!"

Sirius froze at that, his voice dying in his throat. Harry? Here? Why? What happened? Sweat began to break out on his forehead. "What?!" he cried immediately, already rushing past Remus, "It's Snape, isn't it? I knew that greasy-haired couldn't be trusted…?"

"No, Sirius. Truly, I've no idea," Remus said, following in Sirius' footsteps as they bolted down the stairs. "He's in the fireplace; he just said that he needed to talk to you."

Neither of them said another word as they hurried back down the kitchen, taking several steps at a time. Sirius was picturing terrible things by the time they skidded to a stop in the kitchen. Remus was right, Harry's head was sitting among the flames. He felt a surge of laughter as well as fear in the pit of his stomach—was this how it looked when he had come to visit him?

But he put that out of his mind as they both dropped to the floor in front of the fire. He swept his long hair out of his eyes as he asked urgently, "What is it? Are you all right? Do you need help?"

Remus knelt beside Sirius, leaning forward to see Harry better, who looked uncomfortable but somehow relieved when he saw them both standing there. Harry looked strained and Sirius watched in concern as Harry shook his head just the slightest.

"No, it's nothing like that… I just wanted to talk… about my dad…"

Out of all the millions of things that they had expected him to want to talk about, this wasn't one of them. They stared at each other in surprise.

But Harry didn't waste time. "Listen. A while ago, I was in Occlumency lessons and Snape – he putting some memories in Dumbledore's Pensieve before we started. We were interrupted and he had to go. I was just so angry at him… I just… I just couldn't help but look in it when he left." Sirius couldn't hide the smug satisfaction on his face at those words. But that didn't last long…

"And what I saw was all of you there," Harry said. "You and my dad. Just after you all took your Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. exams."

Remus and Sirius exchanged another look of surprise, though this time Sirius looked away immediately to nod intently at Harry. The O.W.L. exams… then did that mean that he saw…?

Harry's voice sped up now that he was into the story, and he stared intently, almost pleadingly, at Sirius as he talked. "I watched as you were all outside and there was Snape at the bushes. Snape wasn't even doing anything but then… dad." He shook his head as if he still couldn't believe whatever it was he say, "He started jinxing him, and Sirius, you and he ganged up on him. That's when I saw my—my mum come over and tried to stop it. She was furious with you. But then Snape got angry at her and called her a…" and there was angry tone as he said the next word, "Mudblood. But even after she left, I saw that you and dad were just continuing to hang him upside down in front of everyone and threatened to take off his underpants and everyone was laughing." He finished with a rush, looking at the two of them anxiously. "That was when Snape found me."

They were silent for a moment. While Harry caught his breath, Sirius became lost in thoughts of those days and he felt uncomfortable that, of all the memories that Harry could've seen from his father's life, it had to be a memory from Snape.

But it wasn't always like that. James had changed—he grew up. He became mature and showed the kind and strong side that he had always wanted Lily to see. When Lily finally agreed to go out with him, and later marry him, they had been so happy…

And they had only continued to become happier when Harry had been born—as if they couldn't find anything else they could possibly need in life. But now…

"I wouldn't like you to judge your father on what you saw there, Harry," Remus said softly and carefully. "He was only fifteen –"

"I'm fifteen!" Harry interrupted, and for some reason, seemed furious at that. They tried to explain that James and Snape hated each other from the start. How they think that Snape had always been jealous of him… but they both knew the real reason why they hated each other. Lily…

But they didn't think that it was a good idea to mention that at the moment.

"And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts and James – whatever else he may have appeared to you, Harry – always hated the Dark Arts," Sirius finished.

"Yeah," Harry said doggedly, but he didn't look convinced. "But he just attacked Snape for no good reason, just because – well, just because you said you were bored."

"I'm not proud of it," Sirius said quickly and he felt Remus glancing at him before he spoke up this time, "Look, Harry, what you've got to understand is that your father and Sirius were the best in the school at whatever they did – everyone thought they were the height of cool – if they sometimes got a bit carried away –"

"If we were sometimes arrogant little berks, you mean," Sirius said mildly.

Remus could not help smiling, but Harry spoke before he could continue.

"He kept messing up his hair," he said, in a pained tone. Sirius and Remus laughed as memories of their Hogwarts days slowly coming back to them. It was amazing how you forget all those little details—amazing and sad.

"I'd forgotten he used to do that," Sirius said affectionately as he thought it all over, the memories and all the little details were coming back to him. Details that he was angry at himself for ever forgetting. Remus must've felt the same way, as he asked eagerly if he was playing with the Snitch.

"Yeah," Harry said, giving them a strange and slightly annoyed look. He clearly did not see what was so great about the way his father had been acting. "Well… I thought he was a bit of an idiot," he said, his voice full of disappointment.

"Of course he was a bit of an idiot!" Sirius said at once, "We were all idiots!" He paused, looking at Remus as he amended, "Well – not Moony so much…"

Remus shook his head. "Did I ever tell you to lay off Snape? Did I ever have the guts to tell you I thought you were out of order?"

"Yeah, well," Sirius said stubbornly. "You made us feel ashamed of ourselves sometimes… That was something…"

"And," Harry said insistently, not letting them get too off track before he could say everything on his mind, "he kept looking over at the girls by the lake, hoping they were watching him!" He sounded as though he could not believe any of them, let alone his own father, had acted this way years ago.

Sirius shrugged. "Oh, well, he always made a fool of himself whenever Lily was around. He couldn't stop himself showing off whenever he got near her."

"How come she married him?" Harry said miserably, "She hated him!"

That was when Sirius felt a pang in his heart when he realized what this was really about. Harry doubted whether his parents had truly loved each other. "Nah, she didn't," he answered.

"She started going out with him in seventh year," Remus explained.

"Once James had deflated his head a bit," Sirius added fondly, thinking back to when they finally decided to start acting more like their age.

"And stopped hexing people just for the fun of it," Remus said in agreement, unable to stop the smile coming.

"Even Snape?" Harry asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Well," Remus said slowly, and they both knew that Snape would always be a touchy subject. Sirius wanted to let Harry know that neither James nor Snape had been completely innocent in this matter. They both had been at each other's throats since the day they met. "Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James, so you couldn't really expect James to take that lying down, could you?"

"And my mum was okay with that?" Harry asked uncertainly.

Sirius spoke before Remus could explain it all. "She didn't know too much about it, to tell you the truth. I mean, James didn't take Snape on dates with her and jinx him in front of her, did he?" Sirius watched Harry closely. When he could see that his godson didn't look convinced, Sirius went on—this time being completely honest. "Look, your father was the best friend I ever had, and he was a good person. A lot of people are idiots at the age of fifteen. He grew out of it."

"Yeah, okay," Harry said with heaviness in his voice and expression. "I just never thought I'd feel sorry for Snape."

But suddenly, Remus seemed to realize something and he asked Harry how Snape reacted when he found out that he had seen this. Harry looked apathetic, as if he couldn't have cared less. "He told me he'd never teach me Occlumency again, like that's a big disappoint—"

He was cut off by Sirius' sudden shout, "He what?!"

Harry jumped, inhaling a mouthful of ashes and coughing briefly. Remus leaned forward, speaking quickly to get in before Sirius went on a rant as alarm made his mind snap to the current conversation with a frightening intensity. "Are you serious, Harry? He's stopped giving you lessons?"

"Yeah," Harry said, and looked surprised at their reactions. "But it's okay, I don't care, it's a bit of a relief to tell you the –" but Sirius wasn't even listening anymore. He couldn't believe this! Snape knew just how important it was for Harry to learn how to close his mind to Voldemort! And now he finds out that he stopped?!

"I'm coming up there to have a word with Snape!" Sirius said forcefully, starting to stand before Remus yanked him back down.

"If anyone's going to tell Snape it will be me!" Remus said firmly to Sirius, turning back to Harry. "But Harry, first of all, you're to go back to Snape and tell him that on no account is he to stop giving you lessons – when Dumbledore hears – "

"I can't tell him that, he'd kill me!" Harry said furiously. "You didn't see him when we got out of the Pensieve — "

"Harry," Remus said sternly,. "There is nothing so important as you learning Occlumency! Do you understand me? Nothing!"

"Okay, okay," Harry said irritably, not meeting either of their gazes for a moment. "I"ll… I'll try and say something to him… But it won't be…" He fell silent suddenly, and neither Remus nor Sirius spoke as they continued to stare at him urgently. "Is that Kreacher coming downstairs?" Harry gasped.

"No," Sirius said, glancing over his shoulder just to be sure. "It must be somebody your end."

Harry's eyes widened and he said hastily, "I'd better go!" Before they could say anything further, he disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.

Remus and Sirius were left kneeling on the ground, staring at the dying embers of the fire as they recovered from the conversation. After a few moments, Remus finally got back up and began to pace the room. Sirius didn't look away from the fire though—his mind racing a million miles per hour.

"Typical!" Sirius yelled out in frustration, punching the floor. "Of course that greasy-haired git would think that! He's doing all this because he's angry! And you all call me immature!"

"Sirius," Remus sighed. "Now is not the time." He sat down at the table, massaging his forehead where he must be getting one of his famous splitting headaches. "What I want to know is what Harry was thinking?! Using the fireplace like that? If he was caught, he would've been expelled for sure!"

"It was to find out the truth," Sirius said firmly as he stood up. "Man, I can't begin to imagine how he felt to see what idiots we were…?"

"That's not important!" Remus said, sounding angry. "I understand why he felt that it was important, but why risk everything by pulling off a stunt like this? Umbridge is looking for any excuse to have him thrown at of school. And Fudge is willing to throw him into the Closed Ward at St. Mungo's if he gets the chance! Harry shouldn't be risking himself in such a way!"

"Tell me something I don't already know," Sirius said angrily. "Ah, for crying out, Moony! I get it! I worry about him all the time!"

Remus gave him a hard look. "Maybe… but you sound unusually proud of the fact that he did something so stupid and reckless," he said slowly. "And now that I think about it, that's something that you would've done! Molly was right, you're a bad influence on him."

"Hey, it's not my fault," Sirius said coldly, though he felt as if Remus had struck him.

Remus must've realized this as well for he sighed. "Sorry," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, Sirius. I didn't mean to make it sound like that. I know that you care about Harry. But he's doing these crazy stunts and he doesn't need that now of all times."

Sirius looked away, still in a bad mood before Remus asked, "What do you think about Severus?"

"Oh, just that he's a greasy, oily haired—" Sirius began.

"Sirius," Remus scolded softly. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

Sirius rolled his eyes as he paced the kitchen. "What do I think? There's no way that he's gonna start teaching Harry again. Not after this. He hates me and James! So he's going to let Harry pay the price of it! Damn him! I get why he hates me, and I don't care! But Harry has nothing to do with how we treated him! I don't know what he's got going on in that thick head of his, but why take it out on James…?"

"James?" Remus repeated softly, noticing the slip of his tongue.

"I-I mean Harry!" Sirius said quickly. But then he stopped as he thought it over. He remembered Molly's words over the summer. Was it true? Did he honestly see Harry as another James? Was he really so desperate to have his best friend back that he was trying to almost _make_ Harry act like him? He thought that he knew… he was sure that he knew from the start who they were… James was James and Harry was just Harry. But then…?

He thought back to that night where he visited Harry at Privet Drive. The first thing that he thought of was that it was James that he was seeing…

He ran his hands through his messed up hair as he tried to get his head to work straight. If only Harry didn't look so much like his father…

Ok, so maybe he did think about James a little too much when he looked at Harry… It was natural wasn't it? The two were a lot alike, it would be easy to mistaken one for the other once in a while wouldn't it?

"Remus? Be honest with me. Do I treat Harry like he's James?" Sirius asked in a low whisper. "That's not true… is it?"

Remus looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here at the moment as he glanced around, making sure they were alone before he confessed, "Sometimes… the way you talk about him… it's almost like you have to stop and remind yourself that it's Harry you're talking about."

Sirius groaned loudly, and turned away. "I don't believe it!"

"Sirius…" Remus whispered, "Sirius… maybe you do treat Harry a little too much like his father, and yes you are still immature… but now that you know it, you can do something about it."

"How?" Sirius asked.

Remus set him down in a hard chair as he said, "Maybe… maybe it's about time that you let go of James?" Sirius slowly looked up at him. "You know…? To let him rest? To just… let go and say goodbye?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I know that James is dead…" Sirius said slowly.

"But did you ever really… let go of that fact?" Remus asked him worriedly.

Sirius stopped and thought that over. "After… after I figured out what Peter had done, I went straight to Godric's Hallow that night… and when I saw their house destroyed and their bodies…?" he trailed off, shivering as if cold. "Not long after that… I was forced to relive that moment again and again in Azkaban."

Remus frowned sadly as he said softly, "Maybe… the reason you can't get over James's death… is that you never had a chance to let go."

Sirius didn't answer for the longest moment as he continued to stare into the dying embers of the fire. "I just don't know anymore," Sirius confessed, almost to himself than to Remus.

"If you don't know, then I can't really ever give you an answer," Remus confessed. "Maybe… maybe a part of you is trying to use Harry as some kind of replacement… as selfish as that may be, there's no doubt that you still love Harry."

"Am I… am I like Snape?" he asked gruffly. "The way that he keeps treating Harry is how he would be treating James if he was here…?"

Remus hesitated. "Yes and no," he finally said, "I believe that Severus also is using selfish reasons as he treats Harry almost like a replacement. His loathing for James has found a convenient target in Harry; a boy who looks exactly like his father. Though I can understand his reaction to Harry's appearance. His reprehensible treatment of Harry, however, is untenable. But you… you still care about Harry no matter who you think he is. So that's the biggest difference here."

Sirius sighed as he turned away and left the kitchen. But before he did, he heard Remus's voice whisper softly behind him, "Like godfather, like godson…"

***A couple weeks later***

Sirius burst out laughing, no matter how many times he heard this story, he couldn't hold back the cheerfulness. "I could only imagine how well that went."

"Molly wasn't happy in the slightest," Remus smiled as he checked his battered watch. "From what Arthur told me, after the twins had their grand exit, they went to the Burrow as soon as they reached Hogwarts borders."

"I can only imagine how well that went," Sirius said with a smirk.

"He said that his ears were aching by the end of it," Remus admitted and Sirius smirked. "It took them a while, but once Molly calmed down, she gave them her blessing."

"Just like that?" Sirius asked, still shocked no matter how many times he heard about it.

"I already told you," Remus chuckled. "The twins had a long talk with her and Arthur about this and they went to Diagon Alley where they showed them their new joke shop. They finished stacking it up and they opened just the other day."

"Good for them," Sirius grinned. "I can't wait to see it for myself."

"Well, you have to be patient for a little while yet I'm afraid," Remus said, "Some of the other Order members should be here soon. Alastor, Kingsley, and Tonks are all gonna share their reports."

Sirius rolled his eyes as he made a very rude hand gesture and Remus smiled forcefully. He knew that it was hard for Sirius all this time, and them giving their reports was just a sore spot for him.

"What about Hagrid and McGonagall?" Sirius asked, his mood turning angry again. "I heard that she was sent to St. Mungo's…?"

"I don't know the whole story," Remus admitted darkly, "But from what Tonks told me, Umbridge went down to Hagrid's hut. What she was planning, I don't know, but she apparently felt the need of taking some of Fudge's Auror's with her."

"I'm guessing that Hagrid didn't like it?" Sirius asked knowingly.

"Apparently," Remus said, "They tried to take him by force, but Hagrid's half-giant."

"He's got tough skin," Sirius smirked at the idea. "They didn't stand a chance." But then his grin faded, "But what about McGonagall?"

"She must've heard the noise and went out to help," Remus said, and his eyes were filled with a dark fury. "She tried to help Hagrid, but apparently, the Auror's all attacked her instead. She took four Stunners in the chest."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Sirius yelled out in fury, slamming his fist on the table. "FOUR?! That's enough to kill someone!"

"She's still alive," Remus said, angrily looking around the room. "But she'll be in the hospital for some time. I only heard about this earlier this morning from Tonks. Tonks overheard some of the Auror's who were there last night talking about it. A couple of them were in the hospital as well after Hagrid got through with them."

"Well, good for Hagrid," Sirius said, his anger growing out of control, and a part of him urging to grab his coffee cup and throw it against the wall to vent his anger. He couldn't take it anymore! If he had to stay in his god-forsaken house for one more day, he'll lose his mind! He was fighting the urge to scream when Remus went on speaking.

"Umbridge now has so much power at school, all someone has to do is sneeze in her direction and they'll be expelled," he said.

"Where the hell is Dumbledore?" Sirius demanded, his hands fletching angrily, itching to break something apart.

"The entire Ministry is looking for him," Remus sighed. "I don't know where he is or what he's doing… I mean, I get messages and orders from him from time to time… but we can't do anything without being watched by Death Eaters or the Ministry."

Sirius grabbed his hair, wanting to pull it out, about to snap completely, but before he could scream out, they heard it. Somewhere above them they heard a crash, then a bang, and finally a loud squawk of pain.

The two stopped in their talk and turned to look up in surprise.

"What was that?" Remus said, sitting up from his chair at once.

"I don't know," Sirius said, "But I don't like it…" And just then, they heard the sound of a cry of pain and Sirius's eyes widen. "Buckbeak!" he cried and went running from the kitchen with Remus at his heels. They went running in, not even bothering with Mrs. Black's portrait when she woke up from the noise. They went running up the stairs towards the room where Sirius kept Buckbeak, Sirius almost knocking Kreacher over when he went by until they reached the right floor and he flung the door open.

Remus gasped as Sirius let out a string of profanity that would've made Molly wash his mouth out with soap. Buckbeak, the hippogriff, was lying on the floor—his wing smashed and a deep gash with blood seeping out.

"Buckbeak!" Sirius yelled, and stepped towards him, not even bothering to bow as he bent down to examine the wound. "What happened here?"

He began to pet his beak comfortingly as Buckbeak glared at him. And Sirius knew he well enough to know that he was too proud to have someone help him, but was in so much pain that he didn't do anything as Sirius cooed to him, trying to get a good look at the wound. He was so worried about Buckbeak, even as he had Remus get some bandages and medicine to help with the wound, he didn't even notice how Kreacher was stalking around with a rather evil grin on his face.

**(Almost done! I think maybe one or two more chapters before it's finally finished. I hope that you look forward to seeing the end!)**


	31. The Final Choice of Sirius Black

_**Chapter 30: The Final Choice of Sirius Black**_

Sirius spent the next half hour trying to treat a bad-tempered hippogriff. The beast croaked feebly where he lay on the bed, his injured wing laying all crumpled and bleeding next to him. Sirius didn't complain once however, glad that he was not only able to do something useful, but also able to help someone who had become a dear friend. He'd take this over wandering the house with nothing to do for days on end.

What he couldn't figure out however was _how_ Buckbeak injured himself like this.

Sure, he'd known that the hippogriff wasn't any happier about being stuck in this house any more than he was, but he couldn't figure out how this happened. He looked around for the millionth time, but he still couldn't see anything that Buckbeak would've hurt himself off to leave such a gash.

Remus came back with another handful of rags and a flash of a potion to help clean the wound.

"How is he?" he asked in concern as he handed them to him.

"He'll be alright," Sirius said knowingly, having had experience treating injuries without magic during the two years on the run. "Wish I learned how to heal wounds instantly though you know? Would make things a hell of a lot easier."

"Something that we both wish," Remus nodded in understanding. "I'm decent enough when it comes to binding, but closing wounds up is something I was never able to learn."

Sirius smirked. "What do you know?" he asked in a teasing voice. "There's something that Professor Moony couldn't learn."

Remus chuckled a little as Sirius went back to Buckbeak. Thankfully, the wound wasn't too deep, so they were able to fix him up in no time. Though still unhappy of all the bandages wrapped around his wing, Buckebeak's eyes were more alert and not as sickly.

Sirius smiled encouragingly at him, silently promising that he'd take him out to fly again sometime soon, as he patted his beak in a comforting way. Buckbeak slowly closed those big orange eyes of his before he lowered his head onto his front talons and drifted off to sleep.

"He's a tough old bird," Sirius said as he and Remus left the room. "He'll be fine. But I still can't figure it out."

"Neither can I," Remus answered with a frown. "I mean, I understand that he must be growing angry being locked in that room all the time, but I don't see him actually hurting himself like that?"

"Unless he was trying to make a dash for freedom," Sirius countered knowingly. He didn't blame that guy one little bit for that—if it had been him, he'd be trying to leave at any chance he got too. They had just reached the floor landing when they saw Kreacher coming out of the kitchen, muttering excitedly to himself.

"Master if fooled," he cackled to himself, "Master did not see him…"

"What do you mean fooled?!" Sirius barked at him, causing Kreacher to jump, not having seen them there.

He bowed low and said in his bullfrog croak, "Kreacher did not see Master. Kreacher hopes that Master is well."

"Kreacher," Remus said, coming forward, "What are you talking about?"

Naturally, Kreacher looked away and muttered to himself as he always did when he saw Remus, "Now the monster werewolf is talking to Kreacher. Kreacher will not answer, oh, what would poor Mistress say if she knew?"

"Shut up!" Sirius snarled, angry every time that Kreacher talked about Remus like that. "Just what did you mean by saying I was fooled?"

Kreacher didn't answer him right away. "Master is kind, Kreacher does not know what he speaks off." But then he looked away and muttered, "Master must not know about the boy in the fire. It would ruin everything…"

"Boy in the fire?" Remus repeated before his eyes widen in shock and they stared at each other in understanding.

"Harry!" they both whispered before the bolted right past Kreacher and into the kitchen.

"Harry?!" Sirius called, making a beeline for the fireplace, but even as he crouched down, there was nothing but slightly burning embers.

"No one…" Remus whispered, "You think that… maybe Kreacher was lying?"

"Why would he lie?" Sirius demanded, looking at the embers. He was sure that this fireplace had been used not long ago. "That little turd… what did he say to Harry?"

"But why?" Remus said, looking alarmed now, "Why would he come here? Risking his neck once was enough, but what could be so important that he would…?"

"Something bad," Sirius said, suddenly anxious. "What the hell is happening up at the school anymore?"

"I don't know," Remus said, now pacing the room. "I don't know any more than you do here."

"Why?" Sirius groaned as he looked back at the fireplace, as if hoping that Harry would suddenly appear. "He must be using Umbridge's fireplace and got caught or something. He had the mirror right? Why didn't he use that?"

"Maybe Umbridge confiscated it or something," Remus offered. "But… what is going on around here?"

Just then a ball of fire appeared and Fawkes the phoenix appeared out of nowhere, singing his song and causing them both to jump to their feet in shock.

"Dammit!" Sirius yelled, "He does this just to scare us, I swear!"

He glared up at the bird and spotted the note clamped in his beak. Fawkes dropped it at Sirius's feet, who scooped it up at once and groaned when he saw the handwriting.

_Respond if you're still alive, Black._

_Severus._

"What the hell does he want?" Sirius demanded harshly. Irritated and angry he grabbed a quill from the kitchen table and wrote back a very rude reply before Fawkes disappeared again. Neither one could think of an answer. But they wracked their brains, trying to think of some reason why Harry would be inspired to take this risk for a second time. They felt sick and helpless with trying to figure out what was going on, and were relieved to see that other Order members arrived… at least they were…

Tonks, Kingsley, and Mad-Eye came bursting in with a terrible message.

The three of them came bursting into the house. "We have to go," Moody grunted to Remus. "Get up."

"Why?" Remus asked quickly, fear flitted across his face, "What's wrong? Did something happen?!"

"We got a message from Severus," Kingsley stated hurriedly, "Apparent Harry and his friends were caught by Umbridge using the fire in her office."

"Ya think that he would've figured that was a dumb move," Moody grunted as Remus and Sirius shared startled expressions.

"What happened?" Sirius demanded, coming forward, his nerves at the breaking point as Kingsley pulled out his wand and cast a familiar lynx Patronus, and watched as it disappeared.

"I sent a message to Severus," he answered to Sirius's questioning look. "Letting him know that you're still here."

"Why should that git care?!" he demanded hotly.

"It's Harry," Tonks said quickly, "Snape sent a message to us, saying that Harry apparently had another vision."

"A vision? You mean like with Arthur over Christmas?" Remus asked worriedly.

"What do you think?" Moody barked in annoyance. "I don't know the whole story, but apparently the boy was caught in the fireplace and Umbridge was questioning him…"

They quickly told them what Snape had said. How Harry and some of his friends were caught when he was trying to talk to him through the fire. Umbridge called Snape in and demanded some Truth Potion to get the truth out of him. Snape told her that he didn't have any more but when he left, Harry told him in code that Sirius was being held in the Department of Mysteries.

"What the hell?" Sirius demanded. "I haven't left the house! No matter how bad the temptation! Why would he be having a vision like that?!"

"Looks like Voldemort finally figured out how to use the connection between them against us," Moody grunted.

"You mean…?" Remus asked, going paler than usual.

"It's a trap," Kingsley said, no doubt in his voice, "According to Severus, Umbridge took Harry and Hermione Granger into the forest for whatever reason but they never came out."

"Then what makes you think that they're at the Ministry?!" Sirius demanded, his heart sinking into his stomach.

"If Harry thinks that you're being held hostage or whatever and if he never came out of the forest…?" Tonks pointed out, but she trailed off, unable to finish what she was going to say.

"Then he still thinks that Voldemort captured you, Sirius," Remus summed up for him.

"And he's using this as bait to try to lure him into the Department of Mysteries," Sirius finished with a croak. No, this could not be happening.

"And is probably…?" Moody offered but Sirius didn't need him to finish. He knew exactly what Harry was going to do… it was what he would do… what James would do…

"No!" he yelled out, grabbing his hair and looking ready to tear it out. "No, no, no, no, NO! This can't be happening?!"

"But it is!" Kingsley answered, trying to calm them down. "Harry's gone, along with some of the other students. No one's seem them for hours and I think that there's a good chance that we know where they are now."

Sirius was shaking. Voldemort finally came up with a way to get his filthy hands on the prophecy and Harry all in one go. He pulled out his wand and got up from the table. "Well, why the hell are we doing sitting around here?" he demanded, "Waiting for an invitation?!"

"Sirius," Kingsley started, but Sirius ignored them all as he pushed Tonks aside and headed for the door.

"Sirius!" Remus called, "Someone's got to stay here and tell Dumbledore what's…?"

"To hell with that old man!" Sirius yelled out almost hysterically. "Harry's in danger because he thinks that I am! You think I can live with myself if he got hurt because of that? I'm sick of feeling useless! To him and to the Order! Let me do something right just this once!"

No one said anything to him, unable to think of anything they could say before Sirius yelled out, "KREACHER!"

He didn't care anymore, but if he had been pay attention he would've found it strange to have seen Kreacher appear almost instantly and bowing low without a dark mutter under his breath. But the only thing on Sirius's mind was Harry and he barked at the elf to tell Dumbledore what was going on, to tell him the whole truth before he lead the way outside the house.

"Come on! We're wasting time!" he barked at them all before they all followed him, disappearing with a loud cracking noise.

When they left, they ended up right inside the Atrium inside the Ministry of Magic. Sirius would've smirked at the irony if he wasn't so sick with worry, before Kingsley took charge and led them forward to where the lifts were. They hurried inside a random one and Tonks was pressing the button for the right floor over and over again as if trying to get it to move faster.

Sirius felt like breaking the lift every single time that it was forced to stop at a different floor and Moody cursed loudly behind him before it finally stopped and they heard the annoying happy voice speak, "The Department of Mysteries."

Sirius was the first one out, and as soon as they were they heard the sounds of screaming and banging, someone was giving orders but they were too far away to make out the words.

"We're too late," Moody grunted as they hurried along, "Sounds like the party's already started without us."

"I hope they don't mind if we crash it," Tonks said, her wand held high.

Sirius didn't care what happened to him here. He made a promise to himself that if he could find Harry and get him out alive, he could die happy.

**(I know that it's short, sorry for that. But there's only one more chapter to go and I couldn't think of any other way to end it.)**


	32. Padfoot and Prongs

_**Epilogue: Padfoot and Prongs**_

Downwards they ran through the Department of Mysteries, trying to find someone. They did come across a few Death Eaters, but they were impressed at how much bad shape they were in. Such as the one Death Eater who now had a baby's head.

Moody smirked at the sight of them, but Sirius was staring around wildly for any signs of the kids.

As they ran around, they could hear the sounds of screaming from below them, screams of agony.

"This way!" Kingsley shouted, and they ran. Sirius kept praying with all his heart that it wasn't Harry's voice he was hearing. But they came bursting through the doorway, and this had to be the Chamber of Death that he heard so much about. Below them, was Harry and a boy that he assumed was Neville Longbottom. But surrounding them had to be at least ten Death Eaters.

His blood boiling, excitement and fear rushing through his body, he charged ahead. Lucius Malfoy was there, trying to take the prophecy that was held in Harry's hands, raised his wand, but Tonks already aimed a Stunning Spell at him. Harry turned and dived off the dais as the fight began. It was chaos going off around him. Spells were being shot every which way, bodies were almost dancing around as they sent flashes of light at anything that moved.

Sirius was dueling with one of the masked freaks. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kingsley fighting two at once while Tonks was now taking on Bellatrix single handedly. But he was focusing solely on this loser, both dueling their hardest against the other.

He heard Harry's voice crying out over the noise though, "Protego!"

In panic, he charged at the Death Eater and sent him flying back and crashing into the wall before he spun around to see the Death Eater Dolohov there. He charged at them now, ramming Dolohov with his shoulder and getting him out of the way. With the two boys at his back, he began dueling Dolohov—their wands flashing like swords and causing sparks to fly.

Harry suddenly jumped up and froze Dolohov, causing him to land on the floor with a crash.

"Nice one!" shouted Sirius, forcing Harry's head down as a pair of Stunning Spells flew towards them. "Now I want you to get out of-" but he didn't finish as a jet of green light narrowly missed him. He glared around in time to see Tonks take a fall from halfway up the steps, her limp body falling from the stone seats.

Anger roared inside him at the sight of her. "Harry, take the prophecy, grab Neville and run!" he yelled as he went running towards her, this time ready to take her out once and for all. He knew how good she was, but he was probably one of the few who could beat her. At the least, he was going to draw her away from the others because he knew that she would never be able to resist a battle from him.

She roared in laughter when she saw him and the two of them were at each other's throats. Sirius was more than able to keep up with him, but neither was able to get one over the other. She was now looking angry with every second that they were fighting and Sirius couldn't help but taunt her when he ducked underneath a Stunning Spell.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" he laughed.

But that had been want cost him. Before he knew what happened, he was hit right in the chest by another spell. Pain filled his body, feeling like he had received a punch from an ironclad fist. It was as if time around him slowed down to a crawl. He felt himself falling backwards, unable to move to save himself…

As he fell, the last thing he saw was Harry running back down the stairs, his eyes on him. It wasn't until that moment did he realize the truth…

He did see Harry too much like James. If only he didn't look so much like him… was it because of that he wasn't able to fully let go of his best friend? He was messed up in the head, he always knew that. But it wasn't until that moment did he realize just how much he wanted to live. He wanted to keep fighting, to protect his godson and everyone else for as long as he could…

But it wasn't meant to be.

All he knew for sure was that he fell backwards and barely felt the veil brush past him and he tumbled right into the darkness. It happened so quickly that he didn't feel a thing… in fact, it was quicker and easier than falling asleep…

And he knew no more.

"Sirius…?"

Who was that?

"Sirius!"

It sounded so familiar…

"Oi! Padfoot! Wake up already!"

Just then, he felt someone pull hard on a lock of his hair and he let out a yell of anger, pushing the hand away. "Go away!" he yelled, having enjoyed the most peaceful night of sleep he had in years.

"Come on, Padfoot," teased the familiar voice. "You just gonna make me wait until you're done with your nap?"

Sirius froze, that voice, he knew that voice.

His eyes snapped open and he sat up, wincing at the bright light. He blinked several times, trying to make sense of what was going on. His vision cleared and he could see that he was lying on the floor of a familiar place… it was the Great Hall at Hogwarts. He was sure it was here… though it had been years since he'd been here.

But he wasn't even looking at that as he stared at the person standing next to him, grinning from ear to ear. At first he thought it was Harry, but this guy was older, his eyes a glint of mischief in that haze color.

"J-James?" he croaked.

He got shakily to his feet as he stared at him. It was James, just as how he last saw him. A cocky grin on his face, his hair a tangled mess like his son's, carrying himself tall and proud as when he was when they left school together.

"What's wrong?" James asked, "You look like you've seen a ghost?"

Sirius didn't know what to say. He reached out and touched James's shoulder with a shaking hand. He felt solid, he felt real… that was when he noticed his own hand. It wasn't thin and skeletal anymore. But it looked whole and healthy. He raised his hands and stared at how much younger they looked, how they looked before those nightmarish years in Azkaban. He looked around him and it was a wide place, looking just like the Great Hall once did, yet there was a strange silver mist that covered the place as well. This place was just like the Great Hall, yet, not like it…

But he couldn't care less about that at the moment as he stared at James, afraid to blink in case he disappeared.

"Prongs," he whispered and James grinned. "You're here?"

"Yes," he said happily.

"But," Sirius croaked out. "You're dead?"

"Yes again," James observed.

"Then…" Sirius said, as understanding washed over him. "Does that mean, I'm dead too?"

"Three questions right in a row," James chuckled, "That's a personal best for you."

Sirius cracked a smile, but it faded. "I remember," he said, "I was fighting my damn bitch of a cousin…"

"One hell of a way to go, mate," James commented.

"I can't believe we're related," Sirius stated.

"You could've been switched at birth?" he offered, and Sirius couldn't help but smile. This was their usual conversation whenever they talked about his family.

"Maybe," Sirius said, "I never did trust what my parents said." Just then, he realized something… "Harry…"

At the mention of his son, James's eyes turned sad and he looked away. Sirius felt as if someone was squeezing his heart.

"James, I…" Sirius gasped, pacing around, "I never meant for you to die! I honestly thought that what I was doing was to help keep you and your family safe! But if that wasn't good enough… do what you want to me."

James looked at him long and hard. "Do you really think that low of me, Paddy?" he asked incredulously. "I could never hate you. You're my best friend. I know that you thought you were doing the right thing. And at the time, it seemed to make sense. But it was Peter… not you to blame for that."

"But I was the one who suggested it!" Sirius yelled, pacing around, running his hands across his face, and realized that his face didn't feel as bone thin as it once did. "I was an idiot to ever believe that sneaky rat was on our side! I thought that I could trust him, and you ended up paying the price for all that! I let you guys die! If it wasn't for me, you would still be alive!"

"Sirius…" James whispered, but Sirius was going on, almost in a rant.

"I couldn't do anything right!" he yelled out desperately, practically pulling out his hair. "I let my desire for revenge take over, and instead of taking care of Harry, I let that damn rat get me sent off to prison! And stay stuck there for twelve godforsaken years! And by the time I get out, Harry's a teenager!"

And he went on and on about everything. How he was a failure, a complete idiot for trust Wormtail, for not being able to help anyone.

"That's more than what I could do for him," James whispered and Sirius stopped to look at him. James's eyes were full of sadness. "I was always there watching you both. And Remus too… with Lily." He gave a rather bitter smile. "It's just been killing her for not able to do anything to help him. Remember when she threatened to skin you alive when you used to take Harry out on your bike and used him to pick up girls?"

Sirius laughed, having forgotten about that over the years. "That's right," he smirked, "I got quite a few dates thanks to him. He was the cutest thing… girls just loved him. Not that it would help anymore."

"What are you talking about?" James laughed as he walked over to one of the tables and Sirius noticed that there was a small, handheld mirror there. That was funny, he didn't remember seeing one there a minute ago. "Look," James added and held up the mirror for him.

Sirius was expecting to see his wasted face and wasn't thrilled at the thought until James pressed it into his hands and he got a good hard look at himself. He stared…

He looked tall and handsome, and younger by far than he had been in years. He stared at his face, unable to believe it.

"You think that we would've let that ugly mug of yours like that?" James asked teasingly. Sirius stopped and stared at the sad face of his best friend. "I never blamed you," he told him. "Not once. I know that if it was the other way around, you wouldn't blame me."

"Why?" he whispered. "Why don't you hate me? It's my fault! I'm the reason that you were kill! That Lily was killed! It's my fault that Harry was forced to live on his own all these years! How can you not hate me?!"

James looked at him long and hard. "You're my best friend," he told him. "That's why.

Sirius felt tears in his eyes as he walked over and hugged him tightly. "I missed you," he whispered. "I've missed you so much."

"Me too," James said softly, returning the hug. "But like I said, it wasn't your fault. It's not like you were the one who killed me right? And it was Wormtail who's responsible for that."

Sirius felt as if a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders as he stood there with his friend, a feeling of joy he hadn't felt in years after being with his best friend again. He never really believed in heaven or hell before, he couldn't really see much point in it. But he had never been happier to be wrong. They pulled away.

"Is Lily here too?" he asked.

"She's still watching over Harry," James said and Sirius remembered.

"Is he alright?" he asked worriedly. "I don't know what happened after I… blimey, I was killed but a bloody curtain?"

James laughed. "It sounds so stupid when you put it like that. But why don't you just close your eyes and see for yourself?"

Sirius blinked at him in confusion, not understanding. But did what he suggested. He shut his eyes and thought about Harry. To his amazement, like a dream, he could see them. He was standing in the Atrium back at the Ministry. There was the forms of a fight, destroyed parts of that ugly statue laying scattered everywhere and Ministry officials were streaming in through the fireplaces. Harry was lying on the floor with Dumbledore there.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Dumbledore asked him worriedly.

"Yes," Harry whispered, shaking so badly that he wasn't able to speak in proper sentences anymore.

"That bastard," said a voice in Sirius's ear and he opened his eyes to see James standing there, a sour look on his face. "Fudge," he added. "You should hear some of the things that Lily says about him. I don't envy him one bit when she gets her hands on him. She's gonna slaughter him."

"Sounds like she's as protective as always," Sirius said softly, just glad to see that Harry was alive. "But… Harry's tough. He'll be fine."

"Maybe," James said grimly as he walked a few feet away. "But this won't make it any easier for him."

"I'm not worth crying over," Sirius muttered, shaking his head. "He shouldn't be worried about me. Not anymore. Why doesn't he ever care about himself?!"

"But he does," James pointed out, "Just as much as you care."

"James," Sirius said shaking his head, as James looked back at him, "I'm so sorry… I just…"

He trailed off, unable to say what was going on inside his head, but he didn't need to.

"Lily wants to see him," James interrupted, "She wants to hold him and tell him that it'll be ok… but at the same time, she doesn't want him on this side just yet." He looked grim. "I know the feeling."

He sighed as he looked over at him. "But I'm not too worried," he said, "He's tough as his mother. I only wish…" he sighed, unable to go on and Sirius wished that he could do something, anything to help take away the pain in his friend's face.

But James turned back to him, a faint smile back on, "Come on," he said, "We've got a lot of time to catch up on, and I know that Lily can't wait to see you again."

"But…" Sirius began, unable to really say what was going on inside his head before James clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Come on… if you really wanna make it up to me, then come with me already. We have a lot to talk about."

Sirius stared long and hard at James's face, and for the first time in years, he felt like things were gonna be alright. He smiled, a true smile this time, and nodded, a sense of peace that he could never remember feeling before entering his being and brought a sense of calm that put him at ease.

"If this is a dream," he said softly, "I don't mind at all."

"That's what I thought," James laughed a little, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Things have just been too quiet around here without you! God, what fun this is gonna be now."

Sirius laughed, before he shut his eyes and thought of Harry and Remus… He knew that he made a lot of mistakes in his life, and it pained him to think that they would have to pay the price for them, but he would be here to watch over them. He was going to support them, in spirit if nothing else…

"Yeah," he said, wiping the tears away. "Let's go… I've actually missed hearing Lily chew me out."

"Well, be ready for one," he laughed, "She's gonna give you the lecture of a lifetime for your bad drinking habits."

"I look forward to it," he smiled.

And arm-in-arm, he walked on with James, his heart so full of happiness, he thought for sure that it would burst.

**(Yeah! It's finally over! How was it? Did you like it? I hope that this story helped ease the pain of Sirius's passing. He may be gone, but he's back with his partner in crime. He wishes he could be with Harry and Remus, but it just wasn't meant to be. I want to thank everyone who supported this story. Thank you all, and I hope this story lived up to your expectations.)**


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